Falling Feathers (part 1)
by Chibi Acky
Summary: Ten years after EW, the Gundam pilots have finally settled down with their own families, but a kidnapping leads to some very angry people...
1. Default Chapter Title

Falling Feathers (part 1)  
By Chibi Acky  
  
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Note: All right Gundam Wing storym numero dos! (Yuck, I have a spanish test tomorrow, can't you tell?) Anways, Heero is a little OOC (okay so he may be a lot, but I guess having a kid will do that to you...) and so are some other people, but I promise, it isn't going to be so bad that you'll be screaming at me for doing so. Please R/R  
  
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A man in a dark blue shirt opened the car door, shutting it just in time to see a boy coming flying out of the house with his suitcase in one hand, and a small figurine in another.  
  
"Papa! Papa! Look what Uncle Duo gave me!" The little brown-haired boy paused flashing a miniature model of Death Scythe Hell to his father. He leaned in closer to his father, "And guess what he told me?"  
  
"What did he tell you, kiddo?"  
  
"That Death Scythe Hell was better then Wing Zero!" The little boy couldn't understand why his father was looking angry.  
  
"And what did you say to him when he said that, Adin?"   
  
"I told him he was a liar! Then Ayame and I took our models and fought, and guess what papa?"   
  
"What Adin?"  
  
"She *WON*!" Then he added, "But not before I blew her up too!" The father sweatdropped.  
  
"Oi, Heero!" A voice called from the steps of the house.  
  
"Hello Duo, still trying to convince my son that your Gundam was better then mine?" Heero said in his usual tone of voice.  
  
Duo blinked innocently as his daughter, who was the same age as Adin, burst from the house. "ADIN! You forgot your bear!" She threw it to him, and Adin barely managed to catch it. "Thank you Ayame, see you later!" They waved goodbye to each other like they'd been good friends all their lives.  
  
"I can't believe *you* let your three year-old son sleep with a bear!" Duo was shaking his head at the thought of the Perfect Soldier with a bear-totting toddler.   
  
"I can't believe *you* let your three year-old daughter play with toy mobile suits!" Heero said with a slight smile playing on his lips.  
  
Duo grinned proudly as he scooped his and Hilde's little girl up in his arms, "What can I say, she takes after her wonderful father!" He gave her a kiss on the cheek. Heero sighed.  
  
He lifted Adin Lowe Yuy onto his shoulders, letting his son grip his neck. "Thanks for watching him Duo, you know how busy Relena is. Plus, here-" He threw a small diskette to him, and Duo caught it with his spare hand, "-Open it, and you'll see why I had to leave." Duo nodded, "Wave goodbye to your Uncle Heero, Ayame!"  
  
"BYEEEEEEEE Uncle Heero! BYEEEEEEEEEE Adin!" Heero winced, realizing just how much Ayame did take after her father.  
  
"Bye Uncle Duo! Bye Ayame, I'm gonna beat you next time!" The little boy swore with his dark blue eyes flashing.  
  
"Un uh! I'm going to beat you little butt again!"  
  
"We'll see!"   
  
"Bye Duo."  
  
"Bye Heero."  
  
Heero managed to pull his son away from Duo's house, wondering where Hilde had been. Heero was half listening to his son who was babbling on with enthusiasm he could have only gotten from his mother about how Duo burnt everyone of their meals.  
  
"Adin, where was your Auntie Hilde?" Heero opened the back of the car door for the boy, and buckled him in.  
  
"She had to run a couple of errands with Aunt Sally." The boy had begun to play with the Wing Zero model he pulled out of his bag. He was flying it around his head making occasional gun noises and flying "Nnnnnneaaaar!" noises. Heero was glad, for once, that Relena wasn't there to him.   
  
"Then, Ling came over for a couple of minutes and Ayame and me pushed him in the sand after he had breaked our toys!" Adin looked pleased with himself, "Then we all said sorry and went inside to drink Lemonade, but Uncle Duo forgots to put sugar in."  
  
Heero tried not to smirk at the thought of Duo wearing an apron and watching over three toddlers.  
  
Poor guy.  
  
Thank god Hilde and Duo had moved to Earth, both active members of the Preventers (as was Heero), until Hilde had Ayame and they settled into a small house about an hour from the Peacecraft Mansion. Wufei and Sally Po also had a son, Ling, who was the same age as Ayame and Adin. Both still fought, and both still worked for the Preventers. Quatre and Dorothy were a different story, however. They were up to baby number two; the oldest, Maia, was a year older then Adin, and Ryo was a year younger. Quatre had played an active part in his father's business and rebuilding the colonies. Trowa and Cathrine had one girl named Cho who was the same age as Maia. They still worked for the circus.   
  
Heero grinned this time, if you had asked him ten years ago if he would have pictured himself married with a kid, surrounded by little 'Gundam children' as their parents called them, he would have never believed it.  
  
And probably shot you for even *thinking* of such an idea.  
  
"Papa, is mama still in her meeting?" Adin leaned closer to the window as they got closer to their home. "Yes, she's been quite busy lately, hasn't she?" He glanced up to see his son's reaction in the rear view mirror. His son nodded.  
  
Relena being busy was an understatement. Not only was she *still* Vice foreign Minister, she also had been nominated for President of the Earth Sphere United Nation.* The thought deeply disturbed Heero though. Whereas Relena was loved by many, there were also a few that didn't share the passion.   
  
"Hey buddy, how about we go get some ice cream and then go surprise your mother by picking her up?" Heero stopped at a stoplight.  
  
The toddler's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, "COULD WE?!" He was bouncing up and down in his seat.   
  
"If you settle down we will." The boy stopped bouncing immediately. "Okay papa, I stopped, can we go get ice cream now?"  
  
If Heero could describe his son in only a few words, they would have to be something like this:  
  
His father's appearance, His mother's love, and their brains meshed together.  
  
Adin was looked just like his father, and Relena had been over-joyed at this. She joked about having a Chibi Heero running around the house, but it had been her idea to name him Adin; close enough to Odin, but not coming that close.   
  
Heero, at the age of twenty-six, couldn't have been prouder.  
  
The pulled into the ice cream store, Heero getting both of their usual. A double fudge (cup for Adin who would make a mess of it even if he was wearing protective clothing) with chocolate sprinkles. They both sat outside, enjoying each other's company on a bench outside of the store. Adin was swinging his short legs to and fro, and Heero was tapping his fingers lightly on the metal bench.   
  
"Adin, did Auntie Hilde say where she was going exactly?" A thought occurred to Heero.   
  
"Nope, only something about a big boom!" Adin must thought it was nothing. Heero choked on his ice cream cone.   
  
kuso...  
  
"Adin, we have to go. Throw away the rest." Heero threw his away and stood up. "But I'm not done yet!" The little boy whined.   
  
"Don't whine about it Adin, do as I say." Heero realized his tone was probably a little harsher then it should have been. Adin pouted, throwing the rest away and as he turned around his father scooped him up, wiping his face with a napkin quickly and nearly throwing him over his shoulder.  
  
"Papa... where are we going?"  
  
"To see if mama's okay, buddy."  
  
"Why wouldn't mama be okay papa?" The boy was just too innocent.  
  
Heero tried to explain the best he could as he ripped the car around the corner. He forced himself to slow when he remembered Adin was in the car.   
  
"There are some people who don't love you mama as much as you and I do."  
  
"Who wouldn't love mama? So the most prettiest, nicest, and goodest person in the whole world!"  
  
Yes... why don't they love your mama Adin?  
  
He turned the radio on, "... I repeat, the President of the Earth Sphere United Nation has been assassinated!" The man on the radio seem to be distressed to a point of mental breakdown. "Vice Foreign Minister Peacecraft was only grazed by a bullet, and refused to leave the president's side..."  
  
"Mama?" Adin's lip trembled. Heero would have had the same reaction if he hadn't have been brought up the way he had. The boy was too damn smart for his own good...  
  
"Mama's fine." Heero assured him weakly. He managed to get the two to the Conference building, noticing the swarms of reporters outside. He let out a low growl, double parking the SUV, why the hell hadn't Duo mentioned this to him? He pulled Adin out of the car, hugging the boy to him, and balancing him on his hip.   
  
"Do you see mama?" Heero asked him, trying to glance over the crowd of people's heads.   
  
"Mama! Mama! Mama!" Adin was squirming against his father and pointing frantically to the right. Heero blinked, Relena was wearing her purple dress suit, her hair that had once been tied in a ponytail was falling around her face, framing it with her stray strands of hair. She had tears in her eyes as the medic wrapped her arm with a bandage.  
  
Somehow, for some reason, Heero didn't think they were tears of pain. He pushed his way through the crowd with Adin still attached to him. A soldier stopped him with his hand, "Sorry sir, no one past this point." Heero shot him the 'Omae o korosu' glare and he could have sworn he saw the soldier flinch in fear.  
  
"The Deputy Foreign Minister is my wife, I'd like to make sure she is all right."   
  
The younger mans eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Oh... OH!" This was Heero Yuy, pilot of Gundam Wing Zero.  
  
"Sorry sir, you may pass." The young soldier stepped aside, and Heero nodded. There was a semi-clear path surrounding the ambulance Relena was sitting in the back of, and Adin began to squirm so much that Heero finally put him down.  
  
"MamAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Relena scooped the little boy up in her arms, and Heero didn't miss the wince she gave out either. "Hello Adin, how was Uncle Duo and Ayame?" She smiled sadly at Heero's approaching figure.   
  
"She cheated! She glued her Death Scythe model together so mine ended up breaking instead of hers!" He pouted as Heero sat down next to him, "Then I guess we'll have to glue Wing Zero together with even stronger glue." Adin grinned. "Ooooh! It's Uncle Milly and Auntie Lucrenzy!" Relena couldn't help but grin at Heero. It was funny how he just couldn't get the names out right.   
  
"Hey there Adin!" Adin hopped down from the back of the ambulance and into his Aunt's arms. "How about the three of us go for a walk? You can tell us all about Ayame." Noin suggested. Relena gave her sister in law a thankful look.   
  
I wonder if he ever gets sick of answering the same questions... Heero pondered as they walked away.  
  
"Are you all right?" He asked her.  
  
"I think I hurt more in my heart then in my arm." Relena mumbled. Heero grabbed her hand in his, not knowing what he should say.  
  
"I can't believe they actually got to him. The meeting was over early and he stepped outside to wish me luck..." She broke down into tears. Heero put an arm around her, pulling her close to him.  
  
"Don't worry Relena, you did everything you could..."  
  
"Heero... I'm worried... I'm just so worried..."   
  
So am I. Relena...  
  
^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^  
  
Heero opened the door for his wife, and Relena with a passed out Adin slung over her shoulder stepped into the dark house.  
  
"I'll go put Adin to bed." Heero offered. Relena shook her head, "No, it's all right, I'll do it myself." Heero nodded and watched as Relena retreated up the stairs of the Peacecraft mansion.  
  
"Heero, is that you?" Noin called from the living room. Heero stepped into the dimly lit room. "Good it is, have a seat." She motioned for him to sit across from where Zechs had parked himself. He reached inside of his pocket and threw a small viewer towards Zechs who caught it in his right hand. "From Dr. J." Heero answered the question on Zechs mind.   
  
"They're rebuilding the Gundams.... aren't they?" Relena's voice was soft as she entered the room. Heero nodded, and Relena took a seat next to him on the floor so she could rest her head against the chair's side.  
  
They all sat in silence for a minute, "Who do you think is responsible for this?" Zechs broke the silence. Relena bit her lip, "I don't think they meant to hit the president." Everyone gave her a blank stare until she continued, "I think that person was aiming for me." She closed her eyes, and Heero's hand somehow found it's way to stroke her hair.   
  
"Stop it Relena, you're just being paranoid!" Noin exclaimed.  
  
"Am I? You heard what Hilde said, if I had been standing one inch farther to the left, if I hadn't have bent down to pick up his notes he had dropped, it would have been me."  
  
Zechs and Heero exchanged a quick look. "This threat must be the reason the Gundams are being rebuilt. The doctors managed to salvage some of the parts from when he self-destructed them, but it's taken them over five years to upgrade them." Heero explained, still running a hand through Relena's hair.  
  
"Did they mention anything about these people?" Noin inquired. Heero shook his head, "If they did, they'd only tell me if it was a major threat."  
  
"But what if it is? What makes them think that after ten years you all would be willing to risk your lives now that you have families and children?" Relena was almost angry, and Noin was beginning to see her point.  
  
"Yes, why wouldn't they just find someone else to pilot them?" Noin raised an eyebrow, and both guys had guilty looks on their faces. "Oh... Oh, I see. You don't *want* anyone else piloting them, do you? So you're all going to run off to war and leave us little women behind, are you?" Noin was frustrated. Zechs placed a hand on her shoulder, "Calm down, who said anything about a war?"  
  
MAMA! Call it women's intuition, call it a mother's psychic knowledge, call it whatever you want, but Relena knew something was wrong.   
  
Adin? Was her mental cry. Something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly, wrong.  
  
Relena's eyes snapped open, and she stood up. She glanced around her as if she was searching for something. "Relena, what is it?" Zechs stood up along with the other two in the room. Relena didn't say anything but made a made dash up the stairs and Heero figured out in no time where she was heading. The door to the nursery was flung open by the frantic mother.  
  
Relena let out a choked sob and collapsed next to the empty bed, Heero's eyes shone with pure anger and hatred. Relena began to cry, "They took him Heero, they took our baby! I thought I heard him call me, I thought I was hearing things!" All Heero could do was let her cry onto his chest. The small model of the Gundam Wing Zero laid in pieces on the floor.  
  
From the doorway, Milliardo Peacecraft snarled in anger, "They have stooped to new lows if they achieve their goals by capturing innocents. That is not proper war etiquette."  
  
"Who said anything about war?" Noin whispered, lacing her fingers through his.  
  
  
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So how was it? Good, bad, ugly, stupid, strange, entertaining... all right you get the point. Now here's a challange, if you were to describe the first part of Falling Feathers in a one word review, what would it be? Hmmmm...  
  
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Falling Feathers (c) Chibi Acky  
Umi Tentai Productions  
Gundam and all characters (c) their respective owners  
  
(::eyes bug out of her head:: Oh... my... god... I did a serious disclaimer... WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!)  
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	2. Default Chapter Title

Falling Feathers (part 2)  
By Chibi Acky  
  
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Author's Note: All right, I'm glad you all like it! 0.o 23 reviews in less the twelve hours has to be a new record.  
  
AN # 2: Okay I admit it, I made a boo-boo... Trowa and Catherine ARE brother and sister. *sighs* damn... oh wait, I could *SO* make this work! I didn't I ever say that they were married... did I? *grins evily* I'm am making this work even if it kills me! Oh also, I was originally going to pair Trowa up with Dorothy because I wasn't sure about the whole brother/sister thing (and wanted to be a little original...). Thank me later. Sorry Quatre fans, I would have stuck him with Catherine, but that would have been... weird... so there was slim pickings left in the Gundam Wing universe, and I was too lazy to create my own character (so sorry.)  
  
AN # 3: I never got around to mentioning this at the end of the last chapter. I'm not quite sure how the President of the Earth Sphere United Nation is nominated or elected, so most of it's going to be made up.  
  
AN # 4 (last one, I swear!): I know I made little Adin talk like he was five or six. He is SUPPOSED to be able to talk that well. Oh c'mon with a father like Heero Yuy and a mother like Relena, he was *supposed* to turn out normal? Pfet! Not a chance, this kiddo has the brain-power to match with his cuteness. However, you will notice that once Ayame starts speaking more, she will have a more 'toddlerish' (is that a word?) voice.   
  
Okays, sorry that was so long, keep reading and reviewing and I'll love you forever!  
  
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And My Eyes Met Yours...  
  
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Two figures crept through the shadows of the dark hallway. Both crouched and ready to spring into action at any given sign. The first figure slowly pressed the button on the walkie talkie and said in a whispered voice:  
  
"Bugger butt, come 'din, bugger butt!"  
  
"Bugger butt have come 'din, where dis Booger butt?"  
  
"Thaths not my name!"  
  
"Shhhhh! We don't want to get catched!" The little girl hissed, holding a baby moniter in one hand. The little boy tripped over a toy truck in the hall, sending him crashing into the ground.  
  
"Ouchie! You on my foot.... LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!" The little girl screeched at the top of her lungs as the boy feel on top of her and they rolled down two steps to hit soft blue carpet.  
  
"Stupfid girl!"  
  
"Stupfid boy!"  
  
"Ayame? Ling? What happened?" Sally and Hilde had been in the living room, discussing Adin's kidnapping.   
  
They both pointed at each other, and smiled at their mothers innocently. Hilde rolled her eyes and picked up Ayame, brushing the bluish brown hair from her eyes. Sally laughed as she did the same with Ling, who made a face at the attention his mother was giving him. "Awww... Mama, leafve me alone!"   
  
Sally Po winked at Hilde. "So what exactly were you two doing?" She asked as she set the squirming boy down.   
  
"Wees were wooking for dem bad mens thats taked Adin away!" Ayame announced. (AN: Woah, that line is rough.. she said 'We were looking for the(m) bad men that took Adin away.' And you all were complaining how I made them too intelligent...)  
  
Hilde and Sally both looked uncomfortable, "No, sweetie, Adin just went on a vacation with a couple of his friends." Hilde felt bad for lying and even worse when Sally almost starting laughing.  
  
"Uh huh! Yous lying Mama! We saw da bad men!" Ayame pointed a pudgy finger in her mother's face. Hilde's jaw dropped, and Sally stopped laughing. They all sat in silence for a couple of minutes.  
  
"You saw them take Adin?" Sally whispered.  
  
The both shook their heads, "Dey were watching us! Den they pointed at Adin, den at us!" Ling's voice was high in panic, and his short black hair was ruffled by Ayame.  
  
"Hey, Dat was a secret!"   
  
Ling frowned, "Oopsies..."  
  
Sally felt her jaw tighten, "Ling... Ayame, when did you see these men? What did they look like?" She knew that between the two of them, they could come up with some wild answer.  
  
"Right before Uncle Heero came... thenth yes... yester... yesterdth..." Ayame cut Ling off impatiently, "Yesterday!" she clarified.  
  
A thousand thoughts raced through Hilde's mind.   
  
Where had Duo been?  
  
Why hadn't Duo been watching them?  
  
How could have missed the men?  
  
What the hell had be been doing?  
  
How was she going to kill him?  
  
"DUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hilde growled, and stormed into Duo's office. Sally could have sworn she hear a whimper.  
  
"Mama.... papa...?" Ayame blinked.  
  
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"Minister Peacecraft, I'm sorry to hear about your son!"  
  
Sure you are you little twit, now get out of my way!  
  
Instead of moving, the man attempted to hug her. Relena, if she had been in a good mood, wouldn't have minded, but would have scolded him that she was all ready married. But, unfortunately, today wasn't a good day for the former queen of the world. She ducked under his arms and said in a very chilly voice, "I'm sorry, but I'm expected within the council."   
  
The Council had been formed only two years prior to the current one. All most all the members were old, having 'wisdom' about certain things that others didn't possess. Relena knew the only reason they were there was to scold the world's leaders, and baby-sit the president, will trying to cover their own tracks. Oh yes, Heero had dug up some pretty interesting things about the five council men, some very, very interesting things...  
  
"This meeting has now begun, that means shut up!" Driker, the tallest and the crabbiest. He had killed forty five people with one blast he shot at a target. Unfortunately, it wasn't the target he him, but a relief center. Funny how those things never make it to the news...  
  
The room was immediately silent, "The voting for the next president of Earth Sphere United Nation aren't until next month, what are we to do in the meantime?" The representative form Ethiopia raised the questioned on everyone's mind.  
  
"It's simple. Try not to get killed yourself, but Foreign Minister Darlian slash Peacecraft slash Yuy is really the only one who has to worry about that!" Driker and the four other old men began a throaty laugh. Milliardo, who was sitting next to her, squeezed her trembling hand.   
  
"Somehow, Council Man Driker, I don't find that amusing." The representative from the United States said coldly. Relena shot her long time friend a thankful look. The black haired woman nodded back in her direction.  
  
"You wouldn't, you're a woman." Siwer, the man next to him rasped. (He had ordered an innocent colony to be destroyed)  
  
"And vhich leads back to vhere ve started, vhat are ve to do until ze voting period?" The French representative was getting angry with the old men.   
  
"Nothing. We must annihilate the new threat."   
  
Relena could practically fell her brother rolling his eyes at the stupid statement made by third Council Man Niesar (An only survivor of a plane crash that should have killed everyone on board. He was also missing an eye.).  
  
"That wouldn't get us anywhere, considering we have to evidence as to who the new threat is." Relena finally pointed out.  
  
"But *you'll* send out a private search for your son and have your husband, the assassin ,kill all the leaders, won't you?" That was it, Relena could mentally feel herself snapping, Driker had stepped too far over the line this time.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen," She began, even though her brother was trying to hold her down from being stupid, "It has been brought to my attention on several occasions that many of you believe I am nothing but a naive little princess who dresses up for a ball." She pursed her lips together in the silence, "Yes, I am a princess, yes I am a mother, and yes I am a wife. I have lived through more then you all could possibly ever imagine, and I intend to keep doing so. I will not whine, I will not complain to you, I will not cry in front of you all and make a fool out of myself anymore. My family is my life, and those five old men over there have never had any loved ones, can't you tell by their eyes? They're jealous and angry over things and are forced to hide it with dry and hurtful humor." She turned to face them, "I don't understand how you all could be so cruel. You criticize my husband's past when you don't know anything about it. Heero has saved you more times then you have ever dreamed possible. You... the five of you make me sick!"   
  
She turned to face the stunned Representatives, "Ladies and Gentlemen, did you know that every man on this 'Wisdom Council' has been charged with murder and were suspended from their military for foolish actions? In fact a couple of them have even killed innocent bystanders just for -"   
  
"That is QUITE enough, Peacecraft, take a seat before you make an even bigger fool of yourself." Niestar was nearly sweating.  
  
"No, Council Man. I will NOT sit down, I will NOT listen to you, and I will NOT watch *you* do anything stupid."  
  
"You are dismissed, Foreign Minister." Driker's voice was stern and cold. The other Representatives in the room were holding their breathes.  
  
"No Council Man Driker, *YOU* are dismissed." Milliardo was finally speaking up for his sister. He placed a hand his sister's shoulder.  
  
"Ahhh... well if it isn't the pairie children! Why don't you both go skip away so the rest of the assembly can discuss important matters."  
  
Both Relena and Milliardo surprised everyone in the room by laughing hysterically, "He... he called... *US* prairie children... hahahahaha...." Relena was almost crying. Soon other chuckles were heard, and then fits of laughter when everyone caught on to the irony of the statement. Driker began to pound his mallet onto the desk.  
  
"ORDER, ORDER, SHUT UP DAMNIT!" The room's noise slowly died down.   
  
"Like I said before, Council Men, you're excused." Relena's eyes were only cold now.  
  
"You can't do that!" Council Man Bilser hissed.  
  
"Oh yes." She paused, "I can." She turned to face the crowd, "Didn't you all know that we could have just dimissed them after we had no use for them anymore?" She turned and waved to them, "C'mon everybody, repeat after me... Bye bye Mr. Council Men, bye bye!"  
  
"Bye Bye Mr. Council Men, bye bye!" Everyone in the room echoed her.  
  
"You little WITCH!" Driker pulled out his gun, and fired a couple of shots in their general direction.  
  
"Oh My GOD!" Relena and Milliardo dove under the bench as the Representative of England fought for the control of the gun. Relena and Milliard ducked behind a nearby desk.  
  
"My goodness, Relena... you truly do have a way with words, you know that?"  
  
She shrugged, "It must run in the blood or something."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
"So what you're saying is that Ayame and Ling *saw* the kidnappers?" Wu Fei was still processing everything.  
  
Sally nodded at her husband, "Apparently so, to quote your son exactly: Dey were watching us! Den they pointed at Adin, den at us!" Wu Fei stared at her.  
  
"Dear Lord, woman, talk in a language I can understand!"   
  
Sally fought the urge to sweatdrop. "Did they mention anything about the attackers?" Heero asked coldly from the corner. Sally shook her head, "Ayame mentioned something about it being a secret."  
  
"Why would a three year old have a secret about kidnappers?" Two new figures entered the room.   
  
"Quatre. Dorothy." Heero nodded in both of their directions.  
  
"They took Ryo." Quatre looked like he was going to cry for a minute. Sally patted him on the back, "Don't worry, I'm sure where ever they are, both Adin and Ryo are fine."  
  
Dorothy had been usually silent this entire time, "I don't understand this. They shouldn't want the children for revenge."  
  
"No one understands it Dorothy." Wu Fei muttered.  
  
Noin chose that time to burst into the Wu Fei's office at the new underground Preventor base. "Heero, I don't know what you've done, but you've sure turned Miss Relena into quite the little fire pistol."  
  
Heero looked up confused, "Why? What happened?"  
  
Noin grinned, "She just told the Head Council Man off and got everyone in the room to wave 'bye-bye' to them." Wu Fei, having come into close contact with all five old men took it upon himself to smirk, "I didn't know she had it in her."  
  
Sally's jaw dropped, "Dear lord, she got everyone to wave 'bye-bye' to them?" Noin nodded, "It's a good thing no one was hurt!" She added.  
  
"Why would anyone be hurt?" Heero asked quickly.  
  
"Uh... well... see... uh..."  
  
"C'mon Noin, spit it out, I know you can do it!" Sally smacked Wu Fei. He opened his mouth to say something, but Noin cut him off.  
  
"Well Council Man Driker didn't like the idea of being out of the only job he's had in fifty years and starting firing a good round or two at Relena and Milliardo."  
  
"Are they all right?" Dorothy asked, mouth agape.  
  
"Yeah, no one was hurt except for Driker." Noin bit her lip, "He's dead."  
  
"How did that happen?" Quatre asked, "Did he fire a shot up in the air?"  
  
"No, he was assassinated." Milliardo appeared at the doorway. His eyes looked tired, and his shoulders were slightly sagging.  
  
"Where's Relena?" Was Heero's immediate inquiry. Milliardo glanced at him. "Nice to see you too."  
  
"I asked you-"  
  
"She and Hilde are out in the hall comforting each other." Milliardo sighed, leaning against the wall.  
  
Sally's eyes began to well up, "Does that mean that..." She couldn't even finished. Heero had never seen Sally cry, and it surprised him even more when Wu Fei held her hand from across the desk.   
  
"Those damn bastards!" Noin cried, "Why won't they just leave the children alone?" Milliardo looked like he was going to say something, but Wu Fei was all ready flying outside into the hallway.   
  
"MAXWELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" He tackled the unsuspecting Duo to the ground and began to strangle him. "I can't believe you let him take my only son."  
  
"Ugh.. *gasp* Wu-man *gasp* He didn't get -"   
  
Wu Fei began to pound his head against the ground.  
  
"You immoral man!"  
  
"Please-stop... they took... Ayame..." Duo's eyes had nearly bugged out of his head.   
  
"Daddy?" Wu Fei looked up at his son. "Hold on a second Ling, I'm in the middle of killing- LING?!"  
  
"Wu Fei, what are you doing to poor Duo?" Relena cried as she knelt down to help him up.   
  
"I thought... he let them take Ling..."  
  
"No you baka! They took Ayame!" Hilde was still crying when the others finally got there. Heero held out his hand to help Duo up.  
  
"Oh. My apologies." Wu Fei wasn't going to let his embarrassment show.  
  
"Oh yeah sure, don't worry about it." Duo was rubbing his neck and where his head had been hit several times.  
  
"So, now they have Adin, Ayame, and Ryo?" Noin was pasting things together mentally.   
  
"Yeah, I guess so." Quarte mumbled.  
  
"So are they trying to get an eye for an eye deal?" Relena hadn't even realized she had said it out loud.  
  
"What do you mean?" Heero raised an eyebrow.  
  
"An eye for an eye, and child for a Gundam pilot. That is what is happening."   
  
"Trowa? Dude, how did we all manage to be in the same place at the same time without planning it, and yet when we do plan it, we're practically never there!" Duo threw his hands up in frustration.  
  
"That question is irrelevant." Heero muttered, moving to stand next to Relena.  
  
"Trowa, it's good to see you... are you worried about Cho?" Quartre's eyes filled with sadness at the mention of his son's name.  
  
Trowa shook his head, "She's Catherine's adopted daughter, I'm just her uncle." Cho, the little girl Catherine had adopted, had been found on the streets by Trowa when she was only one. Trowa had brought her back to the circus with him, and she and Catherine never parted company after that. (AN: BWHAHAHAH! Okay so the explaination was a little shaky, but okay none the less...)  
  
"True, but you're the only one that's not married with a kid. She's the closest thing you've got." Dorothy pointed out.  
  
"Nice Dorothy, single Trowa out..." Duo muttered.   
  
"This is serious you guys, they're rebuilding the Gundams, they're assassinating people, and now they're stealing our children. I don't think we've got a bigger problem then that right now." Hilde ticked the things off on her fingers.  
  
"She's right." Wu Fei sighed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Relena began to slowly pick up the pieces of Adin's destroyed model, placing them in another small pile on the floor.  
  
"Adin, Adin, Adin... I miss you all ready!" Relena cried into her hands, trying to block out her son's voice for even just a minute.  
  
"I promise Adin, you, Ayame, and Ryo are going to get out of this. Even if it means sacrificing everything I own, I'll do it for you my little soldier."  
  
@#@@@@#@@@@@#@@@@@#@  
  
Okay done with the second part. I think it's stinkier then the first. Oh wells... it was... interesting to say the least...  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed my story with one word! let's think of something new... how about a color? Tell me a color that my story reminds you of!  
  
Luvs and hugs  
Chibi Acky  
  
*Gundam is not mine. I know, I'm just Sooooooo incredibly original... But Adin, Ayame, Cho, Ling, and Ryo are mine, please ask before using them!*  
  
  



	3. Default Chapter Title

Falling Feathers (part 3)  
By Chibi Acky  
  
____________  
  
Authors note: Thanks for the comments and suggestions guys! I'll try to answer any questions you might have presented some time during the story. Since someone requested it:  
  
Adin Lowe Yuy- Age 3 - Male- Parents: Relena Darlian Peacecraft (Yuy) and Heero Yuy  
  
Ayame Maxwell - Age 3- Female- Parents: Hilde and Duo Maxwell  
  
Ling Wu Fei - Age 3 (his speech just isn't up to where it should be! Don't make fun of the poor kid!) - Male - Parents - Sally Po and Chang Wu Fei  
  
Ryo Winner - Age 2 - Male - Parents: Dorothy and Quatre Raberba Winner  
  
Maia Winner - Age 4 - Female - Parents: " " (not a major character)  
  
Cho Bloom - Age 3 1/2 (can't forget the half or she'll get angry) - Female- Parents: Adoptive mother is Catherine Bloom, adopted uncle is Trowa Barton  
  
I hope that clears somethings up... Blue and green, huh? *peppy voice* My two favorite colors! Thank you all for such nice comments, I love ya guys, next time I'll name everyone of you in here!  
  
__________________  
  
Falling Feathers (part 3)  
  
Innocent Eyes  
__________________  
  
"Nopies!"   
  
"ARGH! Why not?!"   
  
"My mama told me I can't tell bad men like you anything!"  
  
"You're mother's a..."   
  
"Sir! Such inappropriate language in front of children is not expectable!"  
  
"I'm sorry. I'll ask the three of you again, what are your names?"  
  
"I Adin!"  
  
"I Ayame!"  
  
"I Ryo!"  
  
"NO! No no no no no no NO NO NO! You are Adam, you are Eve and you are Joseph!" The old military man was getting frustrated with the children, "Don't you remember the codenames I gave you?"   
  
"Nopies, I Adin!"  
  
"I Ayame!"  
  
"I Ryo!"  
  
"God damn those little brats..." The old man muttered under his breathe. They were too much like their parents. Inside the small white room they were in, there was only a table and two lights, leaving no room for the children to play or sleep. Yet some how, they had managed to amuse themselves.   
  
The female officer- turned nanny next to him turned and said, "They need me on the main deck."  
  
"You are dismissed Lieutenant Chirus, report back here at day break."  
  
"Yes sir!" She bowed respectively before exiting the room, and slipping away to the bridge of the 'Liberty'.  
  
"EWWWWWWWW!" Ayame held her nose, and Adin began to cry.  
  
"Ryo did a doo doo!" Adin pointed towards the small blonde haired boy, who was blinking at the old scientist innocently with his mother's eyes.  
  
"Uh uh, no way in *hell* I am doing *that*!" The old man stood up and began to step backwards towards the door.  
  
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!" All three of the kids were screeching at the top of their lungs.  
  
"I'm hungry!"  
  
"I thirsty!"  
  
"Mamma! DADDAAAAAAA!" Poor little Ryo was wailing louder then the other two put together.  
  
The old man sighed and sat back down.  
  
This was going to be a long day.  
  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
"In further news... reports of the Council's dismissal by Vice Foreign Minister Darlian Yuy, have been confirmed... many feel her actions, though amusing, were uncalled for. The minister's son had been kidnapped only the night before, leaving her with what some believe to be a short fuse. Two other children have turned up missing, but the government refuses to release their names. In other news...." Heero switched off the T.V.  
  
"I can't believe you convinced everyone to wave bye-bye to them."   
  
Relena rolled her eyes, "Oh for crying out loud, I was insane with anger! Hasn't everyone made fun of me enough yet?" She fell back onto the couch in the Peacecraft mansion.  
  
Duo and Hilde burst through the door, "Any news?" Hilde was wringing her hands so hard, they were bright red. Relena shook her head sadly. Duo took the time to glance back and forth between the two looks the mothers were sharing. Relena seemed to be paler, almost breakable with a touch. Hilde, though she was constantly hiding it, was having the same reaction. Both seemed tired, but Heero and himself were showing no traces of any sleep deprival. Sure, he was sick with worry, but hadn't his mother always taught him that boys don't cry? Soldiers don't show their emotions.  
  
Especially perfect ones.  
  
"This is cruel of them." Duo finally said. He rubbed his face as if he was erasing the pain from it, "What did they ever do to them?"  
  
Heero looked up with the coldest expression Duo had seen in a long time, "It's more like what we did to them."  
  
"We don't even know who we're fighting!" Relena cried, burying her face in her hands. Heero put an arm around her sobbing form.  
  
"Zechs thinks that it has something to with the remnants of White Fang." Trowa had entered the room without anyone noticing.  
  
"White Fang? Why the hell would White Fang want our children?" Hilde cried out loud.  
  
"No, not White Fang as a whole." Trowa corrected, "More like some one that had been involved with White Fang and with the Gundams."  
  
"Well Jesus, Trowa, if you know where the kids are and who the enemy is, why don't you just SPIT IT OUT?!" Duo jumped off of the couch and began to shake Trowa's shoulders. Trowa peeled himself out of Duo's grasp. "I don't know everything, that's why I'm here. They finished my Gundam two weeks ago."  
  
A tray of tea crashed to the ground, and everyone looked to see Noin in the doorway, picking up the glass. "How very clumsy of me..." she muttered, putting a hand behind her head in embarrassment.  
  
"Oi Noin, if you want to be apart of the conversation, you can just come on in." Duo winked at her, "You don't have to ease drop!"  
  
"I was not!"  
  
"Back on the subject... so Trowa, they've completed Heavy Arms?" Relena cut the argument off, "What about the others?"  
  
"Sandrock is complete along with the Altron, and Death Scythe Hell, Wing Zero is eighty percent complete." Trowa crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"Some people have been busy little bees." Hilde muttered.  
  
"They're way ahead of schedule." Heero noted out loud. Trowa nodded, "They're fearing for their lives, they have to finish them and move on to another colony." Heero blinked. Dr. J would never leave the colony unless it was in risk... or if he, more specifically, was in risk.  
  
"What are they afraid of?" This wasn't making any sense to Relena.  
  
"An old acquaintance." Quatre appeared in the doorway, a stern look on his soft features.  
  
"Where's Dorothy?" Noin glanced around.  
  
"She went home to look after Maia." Quatre sat down next to Duo on the couch. (AN: I'm sorry, I just don't know Dorothy well enough to write anything about her; except for her roach brows... *shudders*)  
  
"So, from what I gather we have this: Three of the six kids are gone, and it has something to do with White Fang and an old acquaintance of the Doctors. That still leads us no where, you guys realize that right?" Hilde began to rub her eyes again as everyone, excluding Heero and Trowa, sighed.  
  
*BAM!* The door practically flew off it's hinges, and everyone, excluding Relena, in the room pulled their guns out from seemingly no where, pointing them at the threat. The officer didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Miss Relena! Eh er.. um... Mrs.... uh Relena, come quickly!" The poor officer realized his mistake of calling her Miss Relena too late and had tried to correct it.  
  
Relena stood up, followed by Noin and Heero. She turned to face them, "No, I want both of you to stay here."  
  
"But Relena-"  
  
"No Noin, stay here! I'm sure it's nothing. I'll be right back." She followed the officer out of the room.  
  
Noin turned and looked at Heero expectantly, "Well, aren't you going to go after her?" Heero hung his head and walked out of the room, praying Relena wouldn't catch him.  
  
"Man that guy is loyal as a dog, ain't he?" Duo put his two cents in before the small meeting continued.  
  
(^(^(^(^(^(^(^(^(^(^(  
  
"What is this all about?" Relena demanded from the man on the video screen. Behind her, Lady Une stood, and Heero behind her, hidden in the shadows.  
  
"Ah, Mrs. Yuy..." The man began to crack up. Relena turned to face Lady Une with a blank stare on her face, "What, do I have something in my teeth, or is there something wrong with him?"  
  
"I think it's the latter Relena." Lady Une muffled a snort.  
  
"My apologies, my dear lady, I have come to inform you of the latest developments." The old man leaned forward, grinning a toothless grin. Relena was still standing tall, but said nothing.  
  
"Well, don't you want to hear them?"  
  
Relena blinked, "If they concern myself or my people, only then will I hear you out."  
  
"You're son is safe along with the other girl and boy. We have collected all we needed for our Gundams."  
  
Relena's lip was almost visibly trembling, "What are you talking about?" She whispered.  
  
The man grinned, "I, am Lord Q. The original designer of the Gundam Model 01, and the man who created the ZERO system. " Relena sucked in a breath.  
  
"You lie!" She hissed, "They were both Dr. J's creation!"  
  
"No, my dear lady, they sadly were not."  
  
"Why do you want my son?"   
  
"Well, you just go right to the point, didn't you? Your son is safe as long as he completes his training; as will the others."  
  
"You haven't the permission to train him at all!" Relena was shaking, and Heero was very tempted to come out of the shadows.  
  
"We don't need your permission! Just think, in thirteen years time, he and the other two will be all ready to avenge the colonies! They'll be sent to Earth to wipe out the entire populace, bringing glory to all the colonies!" He began laughing again.  
  
"The colonies do not seek glory, they seek peace. Glory does not come out of bloodshed!" Relena protested, "I want to see my son!"  
  
"No."  
  
She slammed her fist down onto the table in front of her, rattling the cups of coffee lined along the edges. "You'll pay for this... even if I have to do it with my own hands, I'll rip your heart out!" She screamed, startling everyone in the room. Her body was pale, and her eyes became suddenly shallow.  
  
"Why, Princess, you should be thanking me! Now both your son *and* your husband will be perfect soldiers! A marvelous idea, isn't it?" Lord Q grinned.  
  
"No, damn it, give them back!" It was Lady Une this time that spoke.  
  
"No, that will not be expectable. If there is one raid on our ships, should you find them, or one strike of harm towards us, we will kill all three of them, broadcasting it live for all to see." He paused, watching tears stream down Relena's proud face, "But why are you crying? Are you crying for this glorious Revolution? The colonies will have total control over Earth, erasing any problems that ever existed between the two!" He paused, "Then I will rule as king over the united colonies!"  
  
"I'm crying for my son... and I'm crying for the people who will be harmed and put in direct threat from what you are so foolishly trying to accomplish."  
  
"If you cry when he is not even harmed, imagine the flood that will happen when we send his cut up body to you, first class!"  
  
"NNOOOOO!" Relena had meant it to come out it a rich emotion tone, but instead, it came out in a hoarse whisper.  
  
"Just remember, no funny business with any Gundams you might be hiding, and your kid lives to his teenage years. That's if he survives the training of course... Sayonara my dear lady!"  
  
The transmission was cut before Relena could respond. She fell backwards, and Lady Une caught her. She was an emotional wreck, not crying anymore, just staring out emotionless eyes. Heero chose then to come forth.  
  
"Heero... they said they were going to train him... I just want him to be a happy boy..." She whispered, staring into his eyes. Heero nodded, knowing she meant that she didn't want him to have to grow up the way Heero had; facing all the pain and grief. Lady Une left to inform the others of the latest occurrence. Heero simply pulled his wife close to him, her body not really giving any response back, her arms limp at her side.   
  
I'm numb all over too, Relena, just to proud to show it...  
  
"They said... they said they were going to kill him if we tried to get him back..."   
  
"Shhhhh...." Heero, whispered in her ear, "It'll be all right, we'll get him back. Him and the others." Relena nodded dully, and it made Heero wonder when the last time she had sleep was. He kissed the base of her neck, taking her smaller hand in his and pulling her out of the transmission room. They walked by the parlor, where a furious Zechs had joined the others in trying to comfort Hilde. He didn't stop though, and he didn't let Relena either. He just continued to lead her up the stairs, her body seemed to be more fragile then only five minutes before, and he had to carry her the rest of the steps when she had collapsed before making it up the last flight. He brought her into their bedroom, laying her down in their bed and tucking the sheets in around her. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and then on the forehead, admiring her beautiful features as she closed her eyes.  
  
"Heero..." she murmured, "Promise me that when I wake up you'll be sitting right there..."  
  
"You know I can't promise you that, but I'll do everything I can to try to do so."  
  
"I didn't think you could." She sighed, slipping into a light slumber. Heero stood up, four hours later, and headed back towards the transmission room. He had to break his promise to Relena for only a few minutes.  
  
He needed to find out when he could pick up his latest suit of destruction.  
  
_____________________  
  
All right, now compared to my other main story Be Still My Heart, these chapters are pretty short. ^.^; In BSMH, I was making about 10 to 13 pages (There's 1-10 11a, 11b and 12) for each part/chapter. That ended up with a total of about a hundred or so pages. That *WON'T* happen with this story, and it's pretty much one reason. I have cheerleading practice until 5:00 everyday, then I go home, eat dinner, and do my homework, then I get on the web because of all my responsibilities. Oh, about the responsibilities, if you have a Sailor Moon/anime/ whatever site go to blacklady.nu to get it reviewed! Please? Well, I know that was random, but I'm am back on the subject now. :) When I'm done with those, I either work on my Sailor Venus shrine (nasty little thumbnails just don't want to load fast enough!) or type a story. For part two, I stayed up until 3:00 in the morning and got up at 7:00 the next morning. That was a baaaaaaaaad day for me. For those who think I'm crazy for doing this, when else do I have the time? I hate having things hanging over my shoulders, and people whine when they don't get their chapters. So I figure, the sooner I figure out where this story is going, the sooner I can finish, and the sooner I can start a new one.  
  
Does that make sense to anyone? Oh someone asked where I got this idea from, and I can honestly tell you, I was annoyed that no one had *really* tackled the subject of them having *little* kids. I'm having so much fun creating their personalities, and I try to have them relate to their parents a little.  
  
Um... new question... how about... how does this story make you feel? Happy, sad, angry? (A corny question I know, but it was the only one I could think of)   
  
Okay BTW, this would have been up a long time ago, but there were too many people at Fanfiction.net at one time, I couldn't get on. Sorry ^.^;  
  
Until next time!  
  
luvs and hugs  
Chibi Acky  
  
http://www.earthandmoon.homestead.com/Crescent.html  
  
blacklady.nu  
  
  
  
  



	4. Default Chapter Title

"Tell me, Miss Chirus, who is your son?" Relena hoped she wasn't prying.  
  
Sakura Chirus smiled, for the first time in years, "They tell me I'm the mother of a hero."  
  
She shut the door.  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Authors Notes: Wow, this is kinda late coming out, huh? Sorry! ^^; A lot of you have sent me some *very* good suggestions, I'll try to add them in! Thank you to: Pilot, athena, Chibi Gypsy, and Polka Dot for reviewing the last part of the story! Please continue to do so, and send me your ideas and comments.  
  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
The year is AC 209, a year after the abduction of the Gundam children. President Darlian Yuy has been newly elected into office, leaving her brother, Milliardo Peacecraft, to reestablish their Sanc Kingdom. Gundam pilots Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell have been missing for months, their wives and closest friends are the only ones with knowledge of their whereabouts. There have been several (ten and counting) attempts to capture Cho Bloom and Ling Wufei, so far, none have been successful. Wufei managed to obtain information from a soldier (who he nearly carved to pieces after trying to take his son) about the new Rebel group, "Neo-Gundam Alliance". Dorothy Catalonia Winner and Hilde Maxwell, along with Relena Darlian Yuy, have been doing their own undercover work due to the fruitless searches of their husbands...  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"So Relena, you did get my message then!" A small image of Hilde exclaimed from where it was positioned on the screen of Relena's desk.   
  
Relena nodded, "Yes, so you think that that's where they're holding them?" Hilde smiled, "Hon, I know it." Relena bit back a returning smile, "I think that we might be getting ahead of ourselves, have you talked to Dorothy?"  
  
"Yeah, I think she was just a little *too* excited about our plan."   
  
"You know Dorothy, she's always been too big of a fan of war." Relena brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Another image popped up on the corner of her screen.  
  
"RELENA?! RELENA, ARE YOU THERE?!" Sally's frantic voice rang through the small computer's speakers.  
  
"Hilde, I'll get back to you."  
  
"Righty-O, call me back in a few."  
  
Relena clicked out of the message and onto the new one. "Sally, what's wrong?"  
  
"First, they shoot my husband, then they choke Trowa, THEN THEY STEAL THE KIDS FROM THE PARK!!!" She screeched in a tone that Relena had never heard her use before, "THAT IS WHAT'S WRONG!!!"  
  
Relena blinked, trying to clear the ringing out of her ears, "Sally, calm down..."  
  
"I will not calm down! My husband is in the hospital, a shot right through the shoulder, and my only son is gone!" Sally's appearance was frantic.  
  
"Welcome to the club, Sally." Relena said in a bitter voice, "I've been in this situation for a year Sally, I haven't seen my son for a *year*! I missed his birthday! I wonder... I wonder if they threw him a party... if they gave him presents..." She fought back tears, "The best thing we can do right now is this..." She lowered her voice, "Hilde 'found' some information from tracking the message they sent me, she thinks she knows where their hiding place is."  
  
Sally's eyes lit up with hope, "So we're going to do a little investigating then? What about Heero and Duo? And Quatre? Do they know about this?" She then had a mischievous tone in her voice, "Or are we not going to tell them?"  
  
Relena grinned, "Honestly, if we told Duo and Heero where it was, don't you think that they'd be out the next day, ready to blow it up?"  
  
"Probably."  
  
The door flew open and a young female soldier bowed respectfully, "Madam President, we're being hailed by the rebel group, they wish to speak with you!" She turned tail and headed out the door.  
  
Sally must have heard the girl because she responded with, "That's convenient, do you think they know?"   
  
Relena frowned deeply, "I hope not. Contact Hilde and Dorothy... and Catherine... tell them to meet here in my office tomorrow by lunch to discuss further plans. I'll see you later."  
  
"Bye."  
^^^^^^^^ "Hello, my dear, it's a pleasure to see you again!" Lord Q cackled.  
  
"Charmed, I'm sure." Relena said evenly.  
  
"I wish to congratulate you on your election, your son seems to be quite pleased." Relena couldn't think of anything to respond with, so she just let him continue to talk, "That is of course when he is not training."  
  
"I want my son back."   
  
"I want a lot of things that I'm not getting, my dear. It seems that two of the Gundam children are newly arrived, their training will begin later today." He leaned forward, "Of course, though, your son has the highest abilities."  
  
Relena gave him a cold stare, "I want my son back. If you do not give him, and the rest of the children back, I will *take* them back."  
  
"Funny how we got so off topic."  
  
"Tell me, sir, exactly what is the topic of this conversation?"  
  
"I wish to have a meeting with you... to discuss certain rights... and such."  
  
"I will do no such thing."  
  
"Then your son and the other children will die." Relena felt as though she had been stabbed through the heart.   
  
"When are we to meet?"   
  
Lord Q grinned, "I'm glad you see it my way... you, and you alone, will come to the coordinates I will send you on your private line. You shall depart tomorrow, claiming it to be a vacation of sorts."  
  
"I don't know how to pilot a shuttle, I'll need at least two people to come with me."  
  
"All you have to do is insert the information I'm sending you, into the main computer of the ship."  
  
Relena raised an eyebrow, "You have this all planned out, don't you? My risk level is quite high, don't you agree? How do I know that you won't kill me the minute I step off my shuttle?"  
  
"You don't know."  
  
"Fine, I'll see you then." Relena switched the line off before they could exchange anymore words.  
  
So her options were pretty much this:  
  
1. She could hide all the other girls, and risk bringing them along with her.  
2. She could go by herself, possibly getting killed.  
3. She wouldn't go, and then have the blood of five innocent children on her hands.  
  
Guess which one she chose?  
  
*************  
  
"She did *WHAT*?" Duo exclaimed, pacing the room. Noin rolled her eyes towards a silent Heero and Quatre. Trowa rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and Wufei stared straight ahead.  
  
"I told you five times all ready! Relena and the others went to meet with this Lord Q fellow." Noin stood up from her desk at the Peacecraft estate.  
  
"So she brought the others with her?" Heero seemed slightly relieved. Noin licked her dry lips, "In a way..."  
  
"What do you mean by 'In a way'?" Wufei grumbled.  
  
"They weren't supposed to go, they managed to hide themselves efficiently on the shuttle." Noin explained.  
  
"So, while Relena and Lord Q discuss whatever they need to, the other women will attempt to take the children back. Then they'd gather Relena and everyone back onto the ship, and blast away?" Trowa crossed his arms over his chest disapprovingly, "That doesn't sound like a plausible plan to me."  
  
"That's because it's *not* the plan..." Noin corrected, she then proceeded to glance around, "Their plan was to actually leave Relena behind, getting the children away-" she held up a hand to silence the coming outbursts, "That was her plan, and she didn't tell it to me face to face. She left me a note, told the press she was going on vacation, and they were gone. Zechs and I couldn't have stopped her if we tried."  
  
"So, she went, and is planning on dying?" Heero almost seemed angry.  
  
"Don't get mad at me, I would have stopped her if I could! You and Duo have been away so long, it doesn't surprise me that she didn't tell you."  
  
Duo had a guilty look on his face, "So we're supposed to sit back and wait for them to come back?"  
  
"Apparently so." Wufei muttered.  
  
Quatre and Zechs entered the room, "She didn't leave the coordinates to me, would any of the others have left them to you all?"  
  
The all shook their heads, except for Heero.   
  
"You think Relena left you the coordinates?" Noin raised an eyebrow.  
  
"She isn't stupid, or foolish, if they wanted her alone, and then never returned her to us, then she would have left some clue." Heero stood up, walking over to Noin's desk and accessing Relena's private line.  
  
He sat there for a minute and seemed deep in thought.  
  
"What's wrong?" Zechs asked. Heero didn't even bother looking up, "I can't remember the password."  
  
"Oh ho ho ho! I guess he isn't perfect after all!" Duo cried, pointing a finger. Heero did look up this time, sending him the death glare; shutting him up immediately.  
  
Heero typed in the letters H-E-E-R-O-A-D-I-N and waited for the mailbox to load. He skimmed over the letters.  
  
"He sent her the information." He announced. Immediately, there were six people squashed around him.   
  
"Dear lord, that's in Saturn's rings! How did they manage that one?" Quatre cried.  
  
"Shhhhh! She left him a message!" Duo elbowed him in the stomach.  
  
A little image of Relena appeared at the corner of the screen.  
  
"Hi Heero, if you're getting this message, I'm already gone. Lord Q contacted me, wishing to discuss our current situation." She paused, brushing her hair back, "Don't worry, we women can take care of ourselves quite nicely, but just remember this, love, if you do decide to come in Wing they'll kill the children and... well I guess us." A small image of Hilde pushed Relena out of the screen.  
  
"Hilde!" She cried, trying to catch herself on the desk.  
  
"Sorry about that Relena! I'll help you up in a second. Duo, if you are listening, the house is to be SPOTLESS when Ayame and I get back! If I find one speck of dust, I'll ring your neck with a dust rag, okay baby? Bye!" She disappeared and a slightly bedraggled Relena reappeared, adjusting her Earth Sphere United Nation uniform.  
  
Then Sally leaned over the desk too, "Don't even think about it *Wuffy*, I hid every gun and sword in the house, you'll have to wait for our signal. Oh let's see... oh, Trowa, Catherine's coming with us. Don't look so surprised, considering they have Cho-" Trowa raised an eyebrow. "- Okay... oh yeah, Dorothy is with us too Quatre, but we really don't have to worry about her, now do we? She winked at the camera, then gave a small wave.  
  
Relena reappeared, rolling her eyes "They are a little too excited in my opinion. Anyways, Milliardo, Noin, I'm sorry I didn't tell you in person, but if we find out anything, we'll contact you on the private line." She gave the camera a charming smile, "Remember Heero, don't go and blow anything up until I say it's safe to. I love you, bye!" Then the image message died. Heero leaned back in the chair.  
  
Relena...  
  
"So, I say we should all go anyway!" Wufei pounded his fist into the desk enthusiastically.  
  
Trowa and Heero seemed to nod right away too. "Are you sure this is a wise idea? I mean what if what Relena said was true and they would kill all the children?" Quatre reasoned.   
  
"Why don't we just prepare for a battle if the need arises? I wouldn't want an angry Relena, or any women for that matter, hanging over my shoulders." Zechs suggested.  
  
"I totally agree, now that our Gundams are all complete, I think they deserve to be tested out a little..." Duo had that gleam in his eyes.  
  
Heero nodded, throwing a quick glance to Zechs. "Did they reinstall the ZERO system in your Gundam?"  
  
"No, you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Is that such a bad thing?" Noin questioned. Both men shook their heads.  
  
"Not at all."  
  
  
  
  
"Hello, my dear, what a pleasure it is to meet you in person!" Relena looked up from where she exited her ship. Lord Q was a short man, mostly bald, excluding a few grays strands that hung at the bottom of his scalp. He wore a black suit, and as Relena glance around, she saw all of the people of the NGA (Neo-Gundam Alliance) had on similar ones. Surrounding her were five men, blaster arms, and dirty glares.   
  
Oh boy, I hope the girls know what they're doing...  
  
Relena held out her hand, "I hope we are able to settle our differences and strive towards peace between our two communities."  
  
"I don't think that's possible." Relena looked up quite surprised as he led her down the hall.   
  
"Why, if I may ask?"  
  
"Because our views are too different, you want peace, we want control. You're polluting Earth with your nonsense ideas." They turned a corner on the gigantic ship. The air on it was stale and crisp at the same time, both dull and light. Mostly everything was lined with silver and black, and it seemed to Relena that there were really no warriors on this ship, but scientists. In fact dozens of people swarmed by them with clipboards, muttering out loud about what-not.  
  
"This way-" He opened a metal door for her. They say you should never judge a book by it's cover. Well, Relena should have known better. What looked to be a little room was actually a control room, adorned with hundreds of machines and gadgets. There were about four people in the room, including a middle-aged woman who glanced up when they walked in. "Sir."   
  
"Ahhh... Lieutenant Chirus, this is President Darlian Yuy, Madam President, this is who has been taking care of the Gundam Children." Relena meet eyes with the woman. The older woman's eyes were a deep soulful blue, and her brown hair had started to turn a shade of gray. Relena guessed she was in her early sixties.  
  
Her eyes are so sad, I don't understand why... Relena thought. Lord Q leaned over and pushed a button on the consul. Immediately, florescent light filtered into the room as the metal plated shields were removed from a view portal. Relena couldn't help but gasp.  
  
Inside were five Gundams, each different in every aspect. "Beautiful, aren't they?" Lord Q sighed almost dreamily.   
  
Relena shook her head, "Nothing about a killing machine is beautiful."  
  
Lord Q pretended not to hear her, "See the farthest one to the right? The black one with the maroon striping? We call that Prometheus. That's the suit your son pilots." Relena didn't move an inch.   
  
"Send the children in, begin training in... 3 B formation." He released the button, and immediately, there were five children pushed inside. Relena's eyes teared up, and she pressed herself against the glass to get the best look. His hair was still like it always was, messy and falling into his eyes. He looked to be a couple of inches taller (but that was probably just Relena imagining things) and when his eyes flicked up, they seemed to meet.  
  
He and Heero have the same eyes...  
  
Lieutenant Chirus looked over towards the younger woman. She could understand what Relena was going through.  
  
Adin and Ayame seemed to be emerged in a conversation, while pokey little Ryo dragged his feet behind them. Relena smiled thoughtfully, He has his father's reluctance to fight... All three of them sat in front of a computer, placing what appeared to be a circular crown on their heads.   
  
"Turn on the simulation, I want to see if their scores improve with the ZERO system."  
  
"WHAT?!" Relena shrieked startling everyone in the room. "You're hooking four year olds up with the ZERO SYSTEM that even full grown adults can't handle?!"  
  
Lord Q looked up, "What's you're point?"  
  
"YOU IDIOT! Don't you understand, you're going to make them go insane!" Relena slammed her fists down on the desk.  
  
Lieutenant Chirus looked concerned, "The ZERO system is harmless."  
  
"If you call making the pilot go insane and crazy, *harmless*, then I guess it is." Relena spat, pressing her hands to the bullet proof glass.  
  
"You're familiar with it then?" Dr. Q looked surprised.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. My husband and my brother plus numerous friends have experienced it. I can tell you all of them are not proud of it."  
  
That was all she needed to hear, Lieutenant Chirus leaned over and pressed the intercom, "That's it for now children, report back to your quarters, I'll be up with the results in a moment."  
  
"Okay Grandyma!" All three voices chorused.  
  
"Are Ling and Cho here to play too?" Ayame's innocent voice asked. Relena put a hand to her mouth.  
  
"Yes, sweetie."  
  
"Is mama here?" Adin asked out of the blue.   
"I'm-" Relena began but was cut off.  
  
"No." Lord Q cut the transmission.  
  
"DAMN YOU!" Relena cried, almost scaring herself.  
  
"Lieutenant Chirus, please bring the President to where she will be staying." Lieutenant Chirus dragged Relena out of the room before anymore could be said.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^   
  
"Hurry up Hilde!" Dorothy hissed from where she had hidden their clothes. Hilde waved her off and finished adjusting her black hat.  
  
"You know what? If they hadn't taken Ling, I probably would have felt bad about taking their clothes." Sally straightened her NGA uniform that she had bagged from one of the crew members that had come aboard their ship.  
  
"Oh well, life goes on. It wasn't like we killed them or anything." Hilde indicated the four soldiers they had locked in the storage container.  
  
"How very true." Dorothy commented dryly.  
  
Catherine pulled her knives out of the container, and threw them back in with a *THWACK!* *THWACK!* *TWACK!*  
  
"Please stop!" A voice sobbed from inside.  
  
"Not until you tell us where the children are." Catherine raised her knife for another throw.  
  
"For the love of God, they're on the fourth floor, rooms A2 to A6, just please STOP!" The muffled voice cried.  
  
Each of the four girls grinned, proud of what they had already accomplished.  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
"What is the ZERO system?" Lieutenant Chirus questioned, as soon as they were out of ear shot.  
  
Relena glared at her, surprised, "You mean, you don't know?" The old woman shook her head, "All this time he told me it was safe... that lying son of a bitch..."  
  
"The ZERO system is complicated, but it enhances the pilots capabilities. From what Heero has told me, I guess it shows you all the possibilities you could have, and their results. He says you can see the other pilot at their death... I'm not sure though..." She sighed.  
  
Both were quiet as they continued to walk, "Madam President, if I had know, I would not have let them use it. I swear, I wouldn't have."  
  
Relena smiled kindly at the other woman, "You know what? I believe you. I get the feeling you've been in my situation before."  
  
Chirus bowed her head, "You could say that. However, you have a chance to take back your son, I was never given that chance." She opened the door for Relena, shooing her inside.  
  
"Tell me, Miss Chirus, who is your son?" Relena hoped she wasn't prying.  
  
Sakura Chirus smiled, for the first time in years, "They tell me I'm the mother of a hero."  
  
She shut the door.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Okay that's it for now. I like the part about Catherine throwing the knives at the poor officers, how about you? What was your favorite part? *grins* This story is getting nowhere fast, I know, but the next part is almost all about the Gundam pilots, I'm sorry I couldn't put them in here more... but what can I say? It was a Gundam women chapter...  
  
luvs and hugs  
Chibi Acky  
  
http://minako.bored.org  
  
blacklady.nu  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Default Chapter Title

"Please, Madam President, this way."  
  
"No, thank you."  
  
"You don't understand..."  
  
"Oh, but I do!"  
  
"Then you will meet your end here."  
  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()  
*sheepish grin* Hi! Remember me? *Dodges thrown objects* GEEZE! Layoff the pineapples! Don't you know those hurt like the Dickens?! *brushes herself off* Okay to make a long story short, last week is what is know as "Dead Week" at my school, which pretty much means that I had fifty zillion tests and quizzes to take, and no time to write. I'm so sorry! I had like half of the story done, but then it *SOME HOW* got deleted when *SOMEONE* *cough*littlebrother*cough* decided to turn my computer off so it would disconnect from the Internet so he could play Diablo II. So, that's basically it in a nutshell. I'm not sure if it's going to be the last part or not... eh... probably not... I have to finish this before I lose enthusiasm for it. Please continue to R/R!!!  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
In My Hands...  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
  
Considering the years, the aging, the kid, the battles, and the deaths, Zechs felt his brother in law had come a long way.   
  
Since the day Adin had been born, Heero had seemed to be an entirely different person. Oddly open, strangely kind to those around him, and actually smiling. Sure, he was like that after his wedding day, but having a child seemed to ignite the child in himself.   
  
Though that had all changed since Adin had be kidnapped. Zechs wondered if Heero might be reliving what had happened to him. From what information he had obtained about Heero's sketchy past from his younger sister, he realized that the man once known as the Perfect Soldier, certainly didn't have a perfect past.  
  
But neither did he, so he wasn't one to talk.  
  
Zechs loved his god son more then he ever thought he could love a child. Still seeing Heero's and Relena's happiness, made him wish for a new member in his. He glanced up at Epyon, letting out a puff of air into the Preventer's hangerbay.  
  
He turned slightly as he heard the soft clicks of boots heading towards his direction.  
  
"I had hoped, that I would never have to reintroduce myself to Epyon." He spoke in a melancholy voice.  
  
"I had hoped the same." Came the reply.  
  
"Are you going to try and stop me from leaving?"  
  
"If I knew I could, I would, but you have that determination in you now, Milliardo, and not even I can stop that."  
  
"I'm glad someone understands me."  
  
Noin wrapped her arms around his waist from behind him, taking in the warmth of his body.  
  
"Promise me you'll be okay."  
  
"I promise I'll come back."  
  
_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_  
  
"Hey, you're looking pretty down."  
  
There was no reply.  
  
"Oh c'mon, they're going to be okay, they have to pretty tough ladies to have put up with us all these years!"  
  
"Yes, that is probably true, but I'm more afraid of what will happen when *we* get there."  
  
"Oh come off it Heero, everything is going to be fine!  
  
"Somehow, Duo, that is not so reassuring."  
  
Duo frowned, realizing it wasn't. He sighed dejectedly, following Heero's gaze up to Wing Zero. Then turned his attention to his Death Scythe Hell, located right next to it. "Tell me this though Heero, if they didn't have Adin or Relena... would you still be fighting? Would you still be going into this battle?"  
  
"As long as I have a reason to fight, I will. If I must harm a living soul, then I will have it on my conscious as the living soul that had be sacrificed. That they must be proud of the fact they were a part of something great. If war engulfs our hope and our peace, then I will do whatever it takes to make sure that the ideals of today will be the reality of tomorrow." Heero licked his lips as though they were dry before continuing, "That is what Relena told me once; and only now am I beginning to see the truth of it all." Heero turned to face the other pilot.  
  
Duo had his mouth open in a state of shock, "Dear Kami, you talk to each other like that on a regular basis?"  
  
"Only when we need to understand each other."  
  
___________________________________  
  
"Daddy! You can't go! I don't want to be all alone!" wailed a young girl. Quatre scooped his daughter up, "Sweetie, don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."  
  
She pouted, her baby blue eyes twinkling with tears, "But daddy, I'll miss you. I miss mommy too, when is mommy coming home?" Quarte kissed his daughter Maia on the forehead, setting her down. Instead of picking her back up, he ducked down to her level, looking her straight in the eye, telling her the truth.  
  
"I'll miss you too honey, we'll be coming home as soon as we can."  
  
Okay, so it was partially true. If they were coming home, it would be soon, otherwise, they wouldn't be coming home at all.  
  
Quatre shuddered at the aspect. It was true though; lately everyone had been extremely jumpy. Making a funny face, he looked down at her, staring innocently up at him. She burst out in a fit of sweet giggles that rang joyously in his ears. He began to laugh too, in spite of himself. It wasn't really funny at all, but to see his child happy made him happy.  
  
"Now you'll be good girl for Rashid, won't you?"   
  
"Yes daddy, I will." So innocent...  
  
"I love you honey, I'll see you soon!" He gave her one last hug.  
  
I'm being paranoid... I have to stop thinking in ones...  
  
She gave him a light kiss on the cheek, throwing her short, chubby arms around his neck as he reached for his flight helmet to his left. "I'll miss you soooooooooooooo much!" she swore. Quatre tugged her light blonde braid playfully, "I'll miss you a hundred and one times more."  
  
Oh boy... this many ones can't be a good sign...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"That makes me sick that he can have someone to say goodbye too."  
  
"Are you jealous Wufei?"  
  
"No, just resentful."  
  
Trowa rolled his eyes uncharacteristically, "They have Cho too, you know you aren't the only one suffering so quit acting like it."  
  
Wufei snorted, "You're so attached to something that isn't even your own flesh and blood."  
  
Trowa gripped his helmet very tightly in his arms as he leaned back against his Gundam, "I guess you wouldn't understand the significance of it all." Heero and Duo were walking over to them silently, Heero, as usually, trailing slightly behind.  
  
"Hey, where's Quatre?" Duo's voice seemed to echo in the nearly empty Preventers hangerbay.  
  
Trowa and Wufei pointed to about two hundred meters away, silently.  
  
Duo grinned as he watched Quatre try and detach himself from his daughter, "That's so sweet."  
  
"Oh yeah, it's disgustingly sweet if you ask my opinion." Wufei stretched his wounded shoulder behind his head, grabbing his elbow, and slightly wincing when the bandages pressed against the bullet wound.  
  
"But I didn't..." Duo pointed out. Heero nearly groaned out loud, shooting the incoming Quatre a glance he called out, "Hey Quatre, have you seen Zechs? His Gundam isn't here."  
  
"Hey, you don't think he took off without us..." Duo's voice trailed off uncertainly.  
  
"Nah, I think his Gundam is in the next hanger over. He'll meet us when we get out into space."  
  
They sat there for a moment, in their own thoughts.  
  
"Is anyone else paranoid?" Quatre's voice sounded stretched and strained.  
  
Duo and Trowa raised their hands, looking slightly towards the ground. "Good, I thought I was the only one." Quatre scratched the back of his head, nervously staring at the silent Heero and Wufei.  
  
"Oh, come on! You two have to be a *little* worried for your wives... aren't you?" Duo leaned back against the wall.  
  
"Sally Po, as I have learned over the years, is quite capable of taking care of herself." Wufei snorted. He glanced over his shoulder to Heero, "And I'm sure your wife can talk her way out of this one."  
  
"Yes, I'm sure she can." Heero wasn't sure at all. "I'm so excited! I haven't seen Ryo in over a year... I wonder... will he remember me?" Every pilot froze as the horror of the statement sunk in. What if they didn't remember them? What if they had been deprogrammed into killing machines?  
  
What if they all had turned into their father's?  
  
"Quatre, I'm sure everything will work out." Trowa reassured him calmly.  
  
It better, or every pilot knew there would be hell to raise.  
  
  
______________________  
  
  
"Oh C'MON Hilde, can we hurry it up a little bit?!"   
  
"Shut up Catherine! I'm going as fast as I can!" Hilde was pulling as hard as she could on the door.  
  
"Having problems ladies?" Sally Po questioned from behind them. Each of the two grew red in anger. "NO, SALLY, we're fine." Catherine hissed sarcastically.  
  
"I don't think we could draw anymore attention to ourselves." Sally muttered under her breath to Dorothy. Dorothy tossed her pale hair over her shoulder, "Only if we were parading around in our underwear, topless..."  
  
"Dorothy... don't even go there..."  
  
"Hey, if it would get us up to the kids faster, I'd do it in an instant." Hilde wiped the sweat off of her hands, and began her attempt to pull the metal door open once more.  
  
"What seems to be the problem... ladies?" A old man rasped behind them. Each of the four women went stiff as a board, and slowly turned around.  
  
"Uh.. nothing... uh... sir... just a slight door ... er... malfunction." Hilde stuttered over her words foolishly.  
  
"... Just a slight door ... er... malfunction...." He mimicked Hilde's voice perfectly, "MY ASS!" He glared long and hard at each of them. Hilde stopped what she was doing, and turned to the man, saying in a dead serious tone:  
  
"I don't like your attitude... Mr. MY ASS... so you can help us with the damn doors, or you can just GO THE HELL AWAY because I am NOT in the MOOD to be DEALING with YOU right NOW!" She screeched, pounding her fist into his face.   
  
The old one-eyed man slumped to the ground, unconscious.  
  
  
Three pairs of disbelieving eyes turned to face a red-faced Hilde. "I told him I wasn't in a good mood." She snapped. She gave the doors a mighty kick, "You know... why is it these days, you can't find ANYONE to do ANYTHING for you? All I do is work..."  
  
*Kick*  
  
"Clean..."  
  
*Kick*  
  
"Save children..."  
  
*KICK*  
  
"AND COOK!"  
  
*KICK* *KICK* *KICK*  
  
With a great sigh, the gigantic ( and dented) doors slid open, revealing an empty elevator.  
  
"Honestly, I didn't know she had it in her..."   
  
"Dorothy... any independent women who is motivated enough, can do anything..."  
  
+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+  
  
"Please?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Pretty Please?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Pretty pretty please?"  
  
"I told you, Lord Q forbids it."  
  
"Oh COME ON! I want to see my son!"  
  
"If I remember correctly, you saw him earlier, Madam President."  
  
Relena raised her fist as if to punch the guard.   
  
"Outta my way or I knock you to the next galaxy."  
  
"I'm sorry..."  
  
*CRACK*  
  
"My nose! You broke my nose! Dammit!"  
  
"I warned you!"  
  
The guard kicked an unsuspecting Relena as hard as he could. The blow to her ribcage sent her sprawling to the floor.  
  
The pain coursed through Relena, and her vision was getting spotted and dark. She was vaguely aware of Lord Q entering the room. He ducked down to her level on the floor, and with one gigantic heave, he grabbed her by her messy ponytail, and pulled her into a nearby chair. Relena refused to scream.  
  
"You listen to me you little hussy. I brought you here to get you out of the way for our final attack upon Earth. Without your leadership, the Earth Sphere United Nation will crumble! Muwahahahaha! Your child will be the greatest warrior known to mankind, and if you think that I'd let you take him away you are terribly mistaken, my dear."  
  
Relena remained quiet; suffering silently.  
  
"So basically, the council you waved 'bye-bye' (Relena rolled her eyes) to were responsible for all of the assassinations. I had to make sure you would rise to office. Then I would take over the world, using your son... trashing your name... what a glorious revolution!"  
  
"Why are you doing this to me? What have I ever done to you?"  
  
Lord Q slapped her, and she did all but wince. "Remember Proclamation 147? The one you suggested? It sent me and my people to the Outer Rim! Sentenced to death to say the least.  
  
Proclamation 147... Proclamation 147... hmmm... oh! Oh! Relena knew what he was talking about now. When Relena was but 17, she had suggested that all disturbances or major threats be banned to the Outer Rims of the galaxy.  
  
That obviously, wasn't a good choice.  
  
He grabbed her arm, giving it a hard twist. *CRACK*!   
  
That time, Relena did scream. Tears poured down her cheek. "Please... stop..." she whimpered. He stood up, kicking her chair over, and sending her falling to hard ground with a loud *thud*. He ducked down to her level again, "Sorry I had to do that to you, Princess, but I can't have you escaping, can I?"  
  
Relena hissed like a cat, trying to push herself back up into sitting position. Lord Q pounded another kick to her head, sending her flying into the wall, unconscious.  
  
"Stupid Girl."  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
"Hurry up, Hilde!" Sally Po, literally, pushed Hilde out of the elevator. Hilde stopped dead in her tracks. "You guys... I just realized something... that guy that I pounded..."  
  
"Yeah, what about him?" Dorothy questioned as the elevator shut.  
  
"That was Council Man Niesar!"  
  
"Oh my gosh... you're right! I didn't even realize it!" Sally Po gasped.  
  
"So those dirty scum were working for the enemy all along... I knew there was something fishy about them! I just-dsf!" Sally placed a hand over Dorothy's mouth and shoved her into the shadows of the wall just as Lord Q strolled by with four guards behind him. "Don't worry Captain Suka, President Peacecraft-Yuy won't be going very far with a broken arm and minor concussion."  
  
"Still sir... there have been strange things going on... four officers are missing, and Council Man Niesar was found unconscious a couple of minutes ago..."  
  
"Don't fret... have faith in our cause!"  
  
"Still..." Their voices drowned out as they made their way down the hall, walking right past the four women. Catherine appeared first, shaking her head.  
  
"Honestly, could they have been any stupider?"  
  
"Something bad has happened to Relena, I think we should go find her before the children." Dorothy fidgeted uncomfortably.   
  
"Well, where should we start looking?"  
  
"Any place with more than one guard outside."  
  
"Righty-O, let's go."  
  
******************  
  
"...elena?!"  
  
Was someone calling her name?  
  
"RELENA?!"  
  
Yep, they were screaming in her ear now.  
  
"..at?" she could only croak out the last part of the word.  
  
Someone was clutching onto her know, sobbing. "Hilde... I'm..." She winced "Okay." She pushed herself up into a sitting position, not exactly remembering what had happened. "Oh Relena, what did he do to you? I'm so sorry! I'M SO SORRY!"   
  
"Good God Hilde, we're all concerned, but you don't have to concern everyone else on this station!" Sally knelt besides the still fazed Relena. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Wooooo... look at all the pretty stars..."  
  
"I'm reading that as *no*...."  
  
"Oh man, ohman,ohman,ohman..." Dorothy was helping Relena to her feet. Relena's right leg gave out underneath her, and she hollered in pain.  
  
"Heero and Zechs are going to roast us."  
  
()()(()()()())()()  
  
Silence.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Void.  
  
Heero had been amusing himself for the past two hours, trying to come up with all the names he could describe space with.   
  
Hmmmm...  
  
interstellar  
  
Relena...  
  
He cursed out loud, disturbing the silence. Call the poor guy paranoid, but he *knew* something was wrong. Yet, even the serene beauty and tranquillity of space couldn't calm him. Not this time. The chime went off in his Leo, signaling his approach to the rings of Saturn. This is going to be interesting... he thought with a smirk. "Duo, you read me?"  
  
"I read you old buddy." Heero disregarded the "Old Buddy".  
  
"Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei, you create a distraction while Duo and I take care of some... business..."  
  
"No fair, you get all the fun!" Wufei protested, "And how are you going to get in with... ahhhh... so that's why you aren't in your Gundams. You're going to try and *sneak* aboard, aren't you?"  
  
"My, my, we are observant today, Wufei." (AN: That was for you Yama-chan! A little Wuffy-bashing, spice, and everything nice!*)  
  
"Shut up Zechs, and try to be useful for once!" Wufei snarled.  
  
"Just as long as you do the same."  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
"Ugh... Relena, when we get back, we are *SO* putting you on a diet!"  
  
"I heard that Dorothy..."  
  
Sally sighed, taking Relena from Dorothy. "So explain to me *exactly* how your arm was broken?"  
  
"He reached over, and snapped it. Simple as that."  
  
Catherine let out a whoosh of air. "Sounds brutal."  
  
"AH-HA! I found it! I found it!" Hilde jumped up and down excitedly when the women had finally reached their finally destination. She pushed the door open, crowding with the other women, all trying to get in at the same time. Five innocent faces met theirs, and their hearts seemed to stop.  
  
"Ma?" Cute little Ryo.  
  
"Mommy?" Sweet little Ayame.  
  
"Mom?" Proud little Ling.  
  
"Mother?" Precious little Cho.  
  
"Mama?" Innocent little Adin.  
  
All five mothers proceeded to burst into tears. Ignoring the pain in her ankle and arm, Relena allowed herself to fall to the ground. Adin, in his green tank top, and black pants, couldn't have looked anymore like his father if he tried. "Mama, don't cry, I'm okay! Grandyma has been tooken care of us!"  
  
She cried even more, forgetting all of her pain, and rejoicing in the absolution of being reunited with her son.  
  
"Where's daddy?" Ayame asked.  
  
"Uh.. daddy is taking care of some business..." Hilde fought for the correct words.  
  
"Really? Did he bring Death Scythe Hell?" Now, she was fighting the urge to sweatdrop.  
  
"Yes Sweetheart, but before we can see him, we have to get out of here and go back home..."  
  
Duo, I swear to God, if you die, I'll never forgive you...  
  
"We have to leave Grandyma?" Adin's bottom lip began to tremble.   
  
Relena froze. She had totally forgotten about the old Lieutenant. She stood up shakily, "Don't worry honey, Mommy will go get her right now..." She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea..." Relena cut Hilde off, "Please, Hilde, she means a lot to me too."  
  
Hilde sighed, "All right, but I swear if you get yourself killed, I'll never forgive myself." She thought back to her previous mental thought to Duo.  
  
"Hilde, if I die and you dishonor me, I'll haunt you to your grave."  
  
"Righty-O."  
  
"Is that your new favorite thing to say?" Sally picked up Ling, "Ready to go home, Buddy?"  
  
He nodded eagerly.  
  
Relena kissed her son on the check, "You stay with your Aunties, your Papa and I will be back with you before you know it."  
  
"Yes Mama."  
  
She gave him another swift kiss on the cheek, watching out of the corner of her eye as Ayame reached out and grabbed Adin's hand.   
  
She thought she heard the faintest, "Bye-bye Mama..."  
  
__________________________  
  
Right  
Left  
Right  
Left  
Right  
Left  
Control yourself Heero, you know better than to get excited over something like this.  
  
Right  
Left  
Right Left  
STOP!  
  
At his abrupt stop, Duo promptly smacked into him. "Oi, Heero... be careful."  
  
"Shhhh!" Heero hissed.  
  
A figure turned the corner, stopping to lean against the wall, a look of sheer pain and agony crossed her face. She managed to walk a couple of more steps before stumbling and falling. Heero still couldn't see her face, but he heard her and saw her shake her head, mumbling, "What is wrong with me?! I have to be strong... I have to be strong at least this once..."  
  
Heero stiffened, and felt Duo do the same as he reached the same conclusion he had.  
  
He glanced to his right, and then to his left, wondering in the back of his mind where the security was.   
  
Before he could jump out to aid his wife, another figure appeared. "Going somewhere Madam President?" Heero could have sworn he heard Relena whimper.   
  
"Isn't that that Lord Q fellow?" Duo shot to Heero. Heero nodded dumbly, watching Relena use her one good arm and ankle to try and push herself away from him. "Get away from me!" She spat, kicking her one good leg up to his most vulnerable spot. He quickly intercepted her, grabbing her foot and sending her into a nearby wall with one mighty heave.  
  
At Relena's scream of pain, Heero and Duo sprung from the shadows, gun in hand. Lord Q turned around slowly, laughing at her pain as if it was the funniest thing he had ever seen. Heero knelt besides Relena's sobbing frame, taking her in his arms. He held his gun out, and Duo did the same.  
  
"So, the Perfect Soldier and the God of Death have finally arrived! Don't like to see you little lady hit?" He raised an eyebrow at Heero. Heero cocked his gun as Relena whimpered in his arms, "No. I don't."  
  
Lord Q took a step forward.  
  
"NO! Don't let him come any closer! Don't let him come near me! Don't let him get Adin!" Relena was sobbing hysterically, and Duo, in shock at her behavior, nearly dropped his gun.   
  
"Go ahead, shoot me. Become the killer you were before."  
  
"Gladly." Heero aimed his gun...  
  
___________________  
  
Okay! SO, the next part will be the last part! Hey! Don't give me that face, this is 14 pages long, and it's 5:30 in the morning! Gomen, I tried to finish... I really did...  
  
On a Serious Note: There are a couple of things that really piss me off in the world, one is copying. C'mon you guys, this story took my blood, sweat, tears, and precious time, and I DON'T appreciate having it ripped off. That's right, since I posted this story, I've come across at least ten that are identical, or have used names for the children that I've used. I don't care if you use the names, they aren't mine, but I spent Two *WEEKS* looking for appropriate names for them. Honestly, there are THOUSANDS of other names out there, why do you have to choose the same ones I did? Please, if it doesn't stop, I won't write the next part.  
  
Thanks for all the support  
Chibi Acky  
  
www.users.uswest.net/~dsbracken/splash.html  
  
blacklady.nu  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Default Chapter Title

"So, the Perfect Soldier and the God of Death have finally arrived! Don't like to see your little lady hit?" He raised an eyebrow at Heero. Heero cocked his gun as Relena whimpered in his arms, "No. I don't."  
  
Lord Q took a step forward.  
  
"NO! Don't let him come any closer! Don't let him come near me! Don't let him get Adin!" Relena was sobbing hysterically, and Duo, in shock of her behavior, nearly dropped his gun.   
  
"Go ahead, shoot me. Become the killer you were before."  
  
"Gladly." Heero aimed his gun...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's Note: YAY! Last part! WOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOO! *cough* *cough* Gomen , gomen... I'm just too happy about this. It's just one more thing I don't have to worry about! There's a longer author's note at the bottom... read that one...  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
In the light of a thousand stars...  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
To Wufei, the "base" looked like a regular colony. Nothing more, nothing less.  
  
"We could blow it up right now." He mused more to himself than anyone else.  
  
"And kill everyone on board? You might want to rethink your strategies." Trowa scolded.   
  
"Geeze, where is everybody? I knew the enemy was stupid, but I didn't think they were *this* stupid!" Quatre cried out, utterly frustrated.  
  
"Disappointed? They must be trying to pull something off..." Zechs muttered.  
  
"No! Wait, wait! I see something!" Wufei leaned forward as one Aries mobile suit came out.   
  
"Die, Gundam pilots... DIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Wufei shot him down with one shot.   
  
"Oh c'mon... now that was just pathetic..."  
  
+++++++++++++++++++  
  
"NO! Don't shoot!"  
  
"Chirus!"  
  
"Chirus?"  
  
"Relena?"  
  
"Relena!"  
  
"Odin?"  
  
"Odin?"  
  
"Wow, I think I missed something..." Duo scratched his head.  
  
"Go, Chirus, unless you want me to hurt you too." Heero barked. Chirus shook her head, "No, Odin, I'm staying."  
  
"Well, well, well... if it isn't like a family reunion!" Lord Q chuckled, still feeling the cold gaze of Heero and Relena on him.  
  
"Go Chirus!" Relena cried, freeing herself from Heero's grip. Had it not been for Heero's cat-like reflexes, she would have fallen yet again. She shook her head, trying to clear out the ringing pain.  
  
"Relena... what happened?" Chirus' colbat blue eyes widened as Heero brought his wife to his chest in a defensive manner.  
  
"Lieutenant Chirus... that- that is a very bad man!" Relena hissed. Poor, confused, Duo just stood there, trailing his gun at nothing in particular.  
  
"What happened? What happened?" Chirus was shaking with anger, fear, and frustration. Lord Q turned to face her, "First I pulled her by her hair..." Relena covered her ears, not wanting to remember any of it "... then I knocked her around... and kicked her..." Duo could see Heero visibly straighten "... and I broke her arm..." He paused, "That's about it, I believe." He grinned maliciously at Relena.  
  
Heero raised his gun again. Never, NEVER, had he found himself hating such a man. This... this... filth hit women and captured children. Chirus looked up pleading, meeting Heero's gaze. Don't do it... her eyes read, Just let him live... He shook his head.  
  
No, this filth would not live.   
  
The older woman seemed to smile sadly at him.   
  
"Look here, Mister, you've just committed a major crime by harming the President. I don't think you have a reason to live. Plus you took my little girl, and that above everything else is a rather good reason to be extremely pissed off at you."  
  
"Ayame Hilde Maxwell, age 4, approximately 115 cm, ranked second highest in battle simulation scores, only after Adin Lowe Yuy. Scored highest for hacking and artificial intelligence. Placed third in physical combat, and fourth in personality. Quite the little fire pistol you've got, Maxwell." The man gave him a crooked grin. Duo grinned right back at the man, "Yeah, well, she gets it from her old man."  
  
"Duo, behind you!" Relena shouted, Duo turned just in time to see a shot being fired in his direction.  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
"I spy with my little eyes... something black."  
  
"Is it space?"  
  
"How did you know?! You CHEAT!" Quatre cried to Trowa.  
  
"This is pitiful." Wufei muttered, feeling the slight urge to bang his head on something really hard, "Explain to me why we're here again...?"  
  
"I'm beginning to wonder the same thing..." Zechs mumbled. Another metal gleam caught his eye. "This one's mine."  
  
"Die you Gundam scum... DIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-AAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!" Zechs brought Epyon's chains down hard upon the poor mobile suit. Well that was just sad...  
  
"There is no honor in this fighting." Wufei muttered, rubbing his eyes.  
  
"Actually, it's rather amusing..." Zechs snorted.  
  
"I know! I know! Let's play... the alphabet game!" Quatre cried excitedly.  
  
"How about... noooooo..."  
  
"Aw, Wufei, you're no fun!"  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
"C'mon sweetie get on the nice ship so we can go home." Catherine pushed Adin onto the ramp. "But mama and Grandyma-" She cut him off, "Are going to be totally fine!" She gave him a grin. He nodded, like a little soldier, and scurried onto the ship.   
  
"There they are!" She looked up just in time to see a group of at least forty men charging full speed at the ship they were 'borrowing'.   
  
"Shut the door, shut the door SHUT THE DOOR!!!!!" She shrieked as they began to fire rounds of shots. She ducked inside as the ship began to lift off the ground. "Fly FASTER!" She yelled at Hilde.   
  
"CATHERINE! This ship has to be at least thirty friggin' years old! It ain't gonna go much faster than this!" Hilde barked from where she and Dorothy were attempting to fly the shuttle. Catherine ducked down next to where Sally Po was on the ground, with the children, hugging them to her life a mother goose. They were firing rounds of shots at the hanger door, but it wouldn't budge, and the girls were becoming frantic.  
  
"Mommy, use the solar radiation to heat the door, *then* fire at it! It should collapse!" Ayame called from the back.  
  
"The what?"  
  
"Just push that big yellow button, mommy!"  
  
As soon as Hilde touched it a beam of bright light, which Hilde assumed was the "Solar Radiation" struck the door.   
  
"Damn... and I thought this was a piece of crap..."   
  
Soon, the door had turned bright red from the sheer heat of it. Dorothy wasted no time in blasting the daylight out them, not stopping until the little shuttle shot out of the hanger bay, with dozens of Mobile Dolls hot on their trail.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
"Wait I think I see something!" Trowa called.  
  
"I'll get it!" Wufei, the blood-hungry warrior, began it's descent on it.  
  
"No, wait!" Zechs cried, his gaze falling on the numerous MDs on the little shuttle's tail.  
  
"WUFEI! If you even THINK about attacking us, so help me Kami-sama, I'll-"   
  
"Hi Dad!" Ling cut her off, "Go get 'em!" Further cheers from the other kids were heard in the background.   
  
Massive sweatdrops engulfed every one of the pilot's head.  
  
"Don't worry, we will..." Wufei assured his son. "Uncle Milliardo, aim for de packs on der backs!" Zechs, or rather Milliardo's, face shone with the pride of hearing his nephew say his name right for the very first time.  
  
"So the packs on their backs are their weak points? Are these a new type of mobile dolls?" He asked Adin.   
  
"Yup, Lord Q designeded them. We fought dem in de simulator." He explained carefully.  
  
Quatre began to cough to try and hide his surprise, "We'll have to talk about your... eh... activities when we get home... is there anything else we should know?"  
  
"They're run on the ZERO system... dat's all." Ling announced as if it was nothing.  
  
"WHAT?!" Even the women echoed their panicked cry.  
  
"Just double team them, make sure your always either in front or behind them." Adin voiced. Ayame put her two cents in, "They seemed to move fast, but they runned on eight counts of beats. Uncle Quatre and Uncle Trowa shouldn't have a hard time figuring out de rhythm."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Uh... thanks kids, now don't give your moms any trouble, you hear?" Trowa managed to pipe up.   
  
"O-tay!" The four of them coursed as the pilots transferred over to a private line.  
  
"Who else gets the feeling *THEY* should be out here fighting and not us?" Trowa asked.  
  
They all sighed and shook their heads.  
  
That was one of the weirdest things that has ever happened to me... my four year-old son was telling me how to defeat a mobile doll and was talking about the ZERO system as if it wasn't anything out of the ordinary... just was did they DO to them?! Wufei thought in bewilderment.  
  
********************************  
  
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!" Duo dove out of the way, and Heero literally shoved Relena to the ground, who promptly moaned as she tried to use her arms to brace herself. Heero cringed.   
  
*BANG* *BANG* BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*  
  
Each of the three approaching officer's hats flew off and their pants fell down, and Relena handed Heero his gun back. Duo's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, thinking back to the rumors he had heard about Relena and Lady Une's rose, and he mouthed to Heero:  
  
"I guess it *was* true..."  
  
Lord Q used the distraction to make a dash for the door, and probably would have made it anyway, even if the Gundam pilots tried to stop him. Chirus was gone too, following the person she had sworn to protect a long, long time ago.  
  
"No! Chirus, come back!" Relena out-stretched her hand, as if it would make Chirus magically appear again. "Relena we have to go." Heero swung her up in his arms.  
  
"No, put me down! I have to go get Chirus! I promised Adin I wouldn't leave without her!" Relena jumped out of his arms, nearly falling again. "I'll go find her, Duo, take care of Relena for me..." Heero carefully handed Relena to Duo.   
  
He stole one last kiss, "Good-bye Relena, I'll see you soon."  
  
"No Heero!" Her cry was in vain though, because he had already disappeared around the corner. Duo sighed, shaking his head.  
  
"C'mon, let's go see if they've found our Gundams yet."   
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
"Get outta here Hilde!" Quatre called through his intercom as Trowa slashed the Mobile doll from behind.   
  
"I'm WORKING ON IT!" Hilde gritted her teeth, trying to figure out how to program the ship towards earth. The mobile suits trailing them were pounding onto the ship without mercy. "Hilde, we're going to be in some major trouble unless we find a *very* quick way to get outta here." Sally informed her of the obvious.  
  
Ayame came up besides her and pushed three buttons, "All done! Mommy, can we go home now?" Hilde just stared at her daughter, "How did you- Hey! Why aren't you in the back with the boys and your Aunts?"  
  
Ayame pointed, "All dey're talking about is deir daddy's Gundam's, but Daddy isn't here so I don't got any-ting to talk 'bout." She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder.  
  
Hilde felt a pang of guilt, as a fuzzy voice came over the unit, "Daddy's here, Ayame, don't worry!" Then out of nowhere, Death Scythe Hell appeared, and slashed down the two Mobile Dolls attacking the shuttle.  
  
"Duo?" Hilde couldn't hide the joy in her voice.  
  
"Daddy?!" The little girl was practically glowing with joy. "See! See! I told you my Daddy haded the coolest Gundam!" She stuck her tongue out at the boys (or Ling more specifically) who just shrugged and turned back with a cry of, "Wow! Look at Epyon! It's as fast as the Prometheus!"  
  
"The what?" Sally Po inquired.  
  
"Adin's Gundam." The four that had their faces pressed up against the viewing glass answered simultaneously.  
  
"Maxwell! Finally!"   
  
"Nice to see you too, Wu-man."   
  
"Maxwell..." Wufei practically growled, firing at another hoard of NGA pilots.  
  
"Ladies, don't depart quite yet, I've got a delivery!"  
  
"Thanks Duo, you make me sound like I'm some shipment of potatoes." Relena grumbled from behind his chair. She had to be in the most uncomfortable position, and yet she didn't complain. She was too weak mentally.  
  
"Hey, I don't know where you got potatoes from... I never said it!"  
  
"Relena, is that you? Are you all right?" Zechs managed to detach himself from the zone he had placed himself in and cringed as his Gundam was rained on by machine guns of the Mobile Dolls.  
  
"Well, more or less..."   
  
"MORE OR LESS?! Duo..." He growled.  
  
"Eh... hehehehe?"  
  
"Where's Heero?" Trowa broke into the family conversation.  
  
"He decided to give himself one more mission before he left." Duo explained, bringing his Gundam up right next to the shuttle.   
  
"All right, little missy, you're going to have to float yourself out... can you do that?" Duo asked. Relena nodded as he opened the front of his Gundam.  
  
"What do think I am? Handicapped?" She snorted, feeling the pain in her ankle and arm.  
  
"Hey! Don't get angry! I promised Heero I'd get you away safely, so just go so I can finish my job!" With that, Relena began to aimlessly wander towards the shuttle in a flight suit. The area where the cargo was loaded opened up, and she gave a little wave before entering.   
  
He watched as the shuttle sped away into the stars, feeling quite relaxed.  
  
"Damn, they're fast!" Wufei swore as his Gundam was nearly blown to bits by three attacking Mobile dolls. Duo came up behind them, barely able to slash through one of them with his scythe.  
  
Quatre and Trowa seemed to be having no problem.  
  
"... three, four, five, six, seven, eight..." he could barely make out Quatre's mumbled voice.  
  
"Count louder! I'm no good at this music stuff!" Duo shouted.  
  
"ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, ONE..." Quatre was yelling it now. It took Duo a while to realize just what his daughter meant by "Counts of eight," but when he got it, it hit him like a bag of bricks.   
  
It wasn't a very complicated thing, if you knew their secret of course. Each movement flowed into one another, but the dolls couldn't fire until eight, and their movements were based on one counts. They only turned on the even numbers, and flew on the odd.  
  
Yes, very tricky.  
  
Duo grinned, this battle just got a whole lot easier  
  
+++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
Heero frowned, this wasn't getting any easier.   
  
Ducking past another squadron of NGA troops, he was contemplating his reasons of doing this. He shook his head, wondering where in the hell the woman could be. He slid past another group of guards leaning in on their conversation.  
  
"Yeah, those Gundams are figuring us out... we'll have to use the beam and destroy all of them at once."  
  
"They're so stupid for even trying... hey, did you see Chirus? She ran into her quarters and someone said she was crying!"  
  
"Who made her cry? I'll kill 'em!"  
  
"Save your strength for killing those Gundam pilots!"  
  
Heero felt he didn't need to hear the rest. When he had first met Dr. J, right after the death of Odin Lowe, he was taken into the immediate care of Sakura Chirus. His fond memories of her went from teaching him the basics of piloting a mobile suit, to bringing him soup when he was sick in bed. She was the one who always had told him, "Live by your emotions."   
  
She was the one that had always reminded him that he was worth something.  
  
"Heero, stop." He turned around slowly.  
  
"Why won't you come with me, Chirus?" He asked bluntly, not even turning around.  
  
"How do you know I'm worthy enough to come with you?"  
  
"Well, if you're able to convince someone like Relena and Adin, then I know you're worthy."  
  
"What about you Heero?" she asked sadly, pulling him into a room and shutting the door.  
  
"Chirus, you had my approval a long time ago." He said softly, fearing she might vanish if his voice rose.  
  
"Odin, do you understand why I'm fighting for the Neo-Gundam Alliance? I'm doing it for you. Dr. J took you away, he sent you to earth, knowing full well that you could die." She sighed, "I didn't want that type of future for you."  
  
"I understand. You've taught me so much, and yet you still remain such a mystery to me. The way you talk, the way you reminisce in the past. I'm happy now, Chirus, I have a family, I have a son... but for some reason, I can't be happy unless you come with me. Adin won't be happy if you don't come with me. Relena won't be happy if you don't come with me."  
  
"No, Odin, go. I'm nothing important to this world and this society. But you and your wonderful wife, you're icons. You symbolize the universe. Please... don't let Adin grow up without a father."  
  
"I don't want Adin to grow up without a heart, Mom, you have to teach him what you taught me. He needs you just as much as I do." At these words, Chirus' eyes welled up with tears and she looked away.  
  
"No, go before it's too late. I'll be fine." She assured him lamely.  
  
"Only if you promise you'll live."  
  
"I promise I'll live for you."  
  
"Good-bye Mother."  
  
"Good-bye, son..."  
  
)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(  
  
  
Wing Zero shot out of seemingly nowhere, just as Death Scythe Hell had. Apparently, Duo and Heero had figured out a way so that Death Scythe Hell could carry Wing Zero and still have them both be cloaked to the enemy. Fearing for their Gundams, they programmed them to land practically on the NGA base, knowing that the other pilots wouldn't accidentally collide with them.  
  
"Nice of you to make it, Heero, did you get the old lady?" Duo grunted, slamming his Gundam to the left to avoid rapid firing from a Mobile Doll.  
  
"No. She wouldn't come." He answered dully. Zechs watched in amazement as his brother in-law moved at impossible speed, with impossible agility.  
  
Someone must be angry...  
  
Actually, saying Heero was angry was probably an understatement.   
  
"Hey! Where do they think they're going?" Duo shouted, noting the retreating ranks of Mobile Dolls and captured Aries.  
  
A tiny image of Lord Q flicked on all of their screens, "Greetings, Gundam pilots." He smirked, "I see you've figured out my Mobile Doll system... I can assure you, the rest will not be so easy. If you glance carefully, you'll notice my super weapon... the weapon that will destroy all of you. Your choices are this, number one: Surrender yourselves and your Gundams, number two: Test out my new Gundams with yours, or number three: Be zapped to space dust. Your choice."  
  
Our favorite Gundam pilots were not impressed.  
  
"NONE!" Quatre shouted angrily.  
  
"Yeah! Who the hell do you think you are?" Duo challenged.  
  
"I can assure you, the super weapon concept in is not a new one." Zechs informed.  
  
"Your Gundams are useless without pilots that have the skill. They will be destroyed, not us." Trowa explained eyeing the situation with a certain caution.  
  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
"Get outta here, I'll handle this." Heero raced towards the beam laser.  
  
"Un, uh, not this time!" Duo yelled frustrated.   
  
"Go Duo, I've lived a good life."  
  
"You're being selfish, Heero! What about my sister and my nephew?" Zechs reprised, outraged.  
  
Heero remained silent, but continued towards the charging beam. "Tell them I love them."  
  
"Damn it, Yuy, let me do this!" Zechs shouted, trying to meet up with Wing Zero. Zero's arm flew out, stopping him in his path, "Not this time. This is something that *I* have to do! Go before it's too late! GO!"   
  
Heero shouted almost insanely, "JUST GO!"  
  
Each of the pilots seemed to bow their heads before fading into the background towards planet Earth.  
  
"It's amazing how he can just make us do these things..." Wufei stared out of his Gundam blankly. Thank you, my friend... Nataku and I owe you a great many things...  
  
######################  
  
Five Minutes Prior...  
  
#####################  
  
Chirus knew her way around the ship well enough, that she didn't need to be told why all the soldiers were running in opposite direction.   
  
"All hands report to battle stations!" The alarm blared over and over again.  
  
"Lieutenant Chirus! Where are you going?" One young officer inquired.  
  
"To do the right thing." She gave him a wink, "And if you want to live through this, I'm warning you... go to the nearest escape pod..."  
  
"Ma'am?" The officer seemed confused.  
  
"You heard me, tell others too. That is a direct order from your superior." She pushed him towards the pods.   
  
"But Ma'am! This is against all we stand for!" He protested, resisting the urge to pull his gun out.  
  
"And so is this war, but two wrongs don't make a right. I know I'm going to die today, but I can't have it on my mind when I'm at heaven's gates. So, you do the right thing, my friend, and save yourself." She patted him on the back, and continued towards the control room, head held higher than before.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
(AN: Ugh... I'm already at 12 pages... ^^: It's never going to end I tell you! NEVER!)  
  
Wing Zero floated in front of the space station quietly, waiting for it's prey. Heero's eyes were relaxed and shut, almost as if he was praying for the correct outcome of this battle.   
  
"Lonely? I thought I'd come out and keep you company!" Laser beams lanced by Wing as the Prometheus zipped out of the main station port. Heero jabbed to the left, avoiding them completely.   
  
"This is your son's Gundam, I just thought I'd take it out for a little test drive..." He pulled out his laser sword (AN: Sorry, I couldn't think of the word... ^^; me bad... :]) and Heero met him with his own. They clashed again and again, and Heero was beginning to vent all the frustration of the earlier events.   
  
This man had taken away his son...  
  
Heero slashed his sword, narrowly missing Prometheus' chest plate.  
  
... had hurt his wife...  
  
Another blow, this time it hit the right arm of his opponent.  
  
... and destroyed the peace he had killed for...  
  
By this time, he showed no mercy, but Lord Q still seemed to be keeping up easily. "Is this all you have for me, boy? You call yourself a Gundam pilot!?" Five or six years ago, that would have angered Heero beyond belief, and yet now, he found himself saying,   
  
"I was a human before I was a pilot."  
  
With this, they became nothing more than two specks in space, moving at speeds not visible by the human eye.   
  
*Hit*  
*Hit*  
*Hit*   
*Hit*   
*Hit*  
  
Both refused to give up, and both refused to run away. Actually, Heero really didn't have a good reason for being there anymore. He had his son and his wife, and all the girls and gotten away with the children.  
  
But Chirus...  
  
"Lord Q!" A voice called through the communicator.  
  
"What is it Lieutenant?" he barked, bring his sword up to block another hit.  
  
"I'm blowing the station up. Not even you can stop me." She said it in such a plain and boring voice that it almost made you think she was joking.  
  
"Amusing as it is, it is unappreciated at this time..." He spat infuriated.  
  
"I'm dead serious." She answered grimly.  
  
"You wouldn't dare!" He was nervous now.  
  
"Oh... try me..." She paused, "Look to your left, and now look to your right." See those racing lights? Those are escape pods of all your soldiers. You've failed." She cut the transmission before he could reply.  
  
"Amazing, you can't even keep your troops in line! In fact, to the Earth, you were never really a threat." Heero snickered as only a Gundam pilot could.   
"I'll be back, you scum!" Lord Q blasted back towards the station, leaving Heero to ponder and drift again.  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
Relena was hurting as soon as the approached earth, and it wasn't her physical pain. She sighed, and leaned her messy ponytail against the smooth and cold surface of the shuttle.   
  
"...ama?" She turned her head to the whisper. Sitting there next to her, cross-legged, was Adin in his miniature flight suit with his hair tousled and every which-way. She smiled and patted her lap, indicating for him to come occupy it. He happily obliged and snuggled into his mother's lap.  
  
"Did you misseded me, Mama? I misseded you!" Relena gave him a kiss on the cheek, hugging him closer, and ignoring the pain in her arm. "Yes, I missed you lots and lots." She gave him a smile.  
  
"Lots and lots?"  
  
"Lots and lots." She confirmed, letting out a little laugh.  
  
"Did papa miss me too?" His innocent eyes stared into her's and she felt her heart wrench and break.  
  
"Yes, he missed you too."  
  
"Good, 'cause I misseded him too!" This time he gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, "Don't look so sad, Mama!"  
  
All Relena could do was break out into tears.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
(AN: ... ugh... 14... fingers... falling... off...)  
  
Heero knew that the time was indicating something terrible was about to happen. Glancing around him he wondered out loud, "I wonder how long I'll be able to just gaze at the stars... it's so quiet and peaceful..."   
  
Flocks of what he assumed were escape pods seemed to diminish, signaling to Heero that they NGA never really had any formidable force. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught something. He reached up, snatching the piece of paper in his hand and flipping it over.   
  
He smiled.  
  
He had totally forgotten about putting the picture in his suit, and it must have broke free while he was in combat with Lord Q. He traced the outline of Relena's face and then baby Adin's, suddenly feeling a wave of grief wash over him. He tucked the picture into his suit, bowing his head.   
  
No, he wouldn't die on this day.  
  
He had to see them one last time.  
  
His patience ran out, and he charged towards the station, determined to just cut it down with his sword, mentally praying Chirus would forgive him. After all, she was the reason he hadn't attacked in the first place. He brought the sword down just as the station began to glow a brilliant golden hue....  
  
_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_  
  
This Universe we live in, has seen too much. It has seen the birth of life, and the tragic endings of death. It creates us, and then takes us away, usually without warning. Surely the Universe is connected to everything and everyone, after all, we were born from it, making us kin. So in death, we return home... we return to our birthplace.  
  
Most definitely it had seen more spectacular explosions with the stars and novas, but never had it seen the death of so many gallant knights and innocent souls. As the mangled glass and metal rained and then froze, the Universe seemed to be holding it's breathe for the true outcome of life.   
  
Strangely enough, it seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and the sparks of battle floated away, like falling feathers in the wind.  
  
#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#^#  
  
*Blinks utterly amazed and then bursts out into tears* I'M DONE! *sobs histerically* This is my second story I've totally completed! I'm so proud! ^^  
  
I'm sorry for the delay in this story... school, life, and being grounded (loooooong story) got in the way, and I am VERY VERY VERY sorry for making all of you wait for two months for this to come out. I was reading through all the reviews (there's like forty of them ^^:) like a vain little girl, and then did begin to cry. Really. I appreciate all the kind words and messages you sent my way, and I hope you'll be statisfied with the conclusion (I'm not, it leaves me heartbroken and confused... and I wrote it -.-;) I might, repeat, MIGHT write a epilogue if enough people ask for it. Actually I might write one anyway because originally, this wasn't how I wanted to end it. Too sad for me...   
  
In the big scheme of things, this story was supposed to be humorous and a little out of ordinary in the Gundam world. Yes, the enemy was supposed to be stupid, and yes, I know I left some major holes and gaps in the storyline. Those were meant to be filled in by you. In my opinion, a truly good author lets the readers decide the true outcome.   
  
Okay, so after watching Endless Waltz, and recieving a few emails about it, let me clarify somethings...  
  
1. I know the kids talk like they're ten, but hey... they're child prodigies... what can I say? Unfortunately (or may FORTUNATELY) I don't live with toddlers anymore...  
  
2. Reguarding the whole Zechs/Milliardo name. In my story I just referred to him mostly as Zechs because it's shorter and easier to write ^^;. However, I have him being called by Milliardo Peacecraft to show that they are taking responsibilities for their actions in the past, and making something of themselves (the same goes for Relena Peacecraft Yuy)  
  
3. I chose Epyon instead of Tallgeese because... let's just face it, Epyon is Waaaaaaaaaaaay cooler than Tallgeese IMHO, and who in their right mind would want a Gundam called "Tallgeese IV" BORING!  
  
*Claps her hands and stands up* I salute those of you who guessed Lt. Chirus was Heero's mother. I SALUTE YOU! *Grins*   
  
So, now I'm left with nothing to do but work on my humble lil' sites, twiddling my thumbs until you guys give me your response. In fact, I think I'll just watch the election... Lord knows it's already been quite interesting! *chants* Nader... Nader... Nader... *cough* *choke* Sorry... actually, I'm going for Gore (great, now I'm going to get flamed for that) just because I like his plans for education and his attitude. Okay, so the whole stupid "I invented the Internet!" thing really *doesn't* bother me... (I wanted Clinton to win in the last election... can you tell?) If Bush wins I'll A: Shoot myself B: Move to Canada, or C: Wallow in my own self-pity D: Write fanfiction for four years straight until the next election comes...  
  
Well, it's been fun! Good night!  
  
Chibi Acky ^.^  
  
http://kiss.to/gyousei  
()()()()()()()()()  
  
pages for this part: 16  
pages total: 48 --- that's pretty low for me...  
  
()()()()()()()()()  
  
I don't own Gundam, but I do own this story... please ask before using it anywhere else!  
copyright Chibi Acky 2000  
  
  
  



	7. Default Chapter Title

*WARNING! READ CHAPTER 6 BEFORE THIS!!! IT'S OUT THERE! I SWEAR!*  
  
now that I've gotten your attention... ah hem..  
  
Author's Note: After much convincing from my muse, Yama-chan, and struggling, I have produced this as a "happier" ending. (I still say Quatre should have cried! Boo to you Yama!) However, due to the elections in the US (grrr... Bush... grrrr...) it might not be *THAT* great...  
  
Also, I'd like to thank my "faithful six"... in other words, they were the only six that reviewed the last part...  
  
Ashiko-chan - Thank you! I'm glad you think so highly of it... you're an awesome writer too, keep up the great work! Email me, maybe we can write a story together, ne?  
  
Quatre's Innocence- Wow! You've blessed me with the longest review ever! Mucho gracias! Keep up the good writing too!  
  
Navi231 - THAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNKKKK YOOOOOUUUU!!! ^^; I don't know what else to say...  
  
Lee-chan- Your reviews aren't lame! I'm glad you agree!  
  
Fiore-chan- I love you too, F-chan! Really, email me sometime! *thinks* Heroes... hmmm... well, I started the next part, but that's all I can really say about it right now... ^^;  
  
Oracle at Delphi- Another awsome writer who likes my writing! *returns the Duo grin* Thank ya kindly ma'am!  
  
Okay, I know I'm notorious from long ANs, but it's over now...  
  
__________  
  
No own, no money, no sue.  
  
__________  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
The Falling Star the Little Boy Saw....  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"At the end of war, there is hope and future."   
  
-Tsukino Usagi Act 49 (Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It had all gone by in a whirl of pain and tears, coming and going like a thunderstorm; and yet even as the President of the Earth Sphere United Nation lay in her bed, the lasting effects were still apparent on her face. Her tear stricken face was buried in her pillow and her crumpled and wrinkled nightgown flowed about her in such a manner that one could tell she had been in it for days.  
  
"Heero... you promised me that you'd see me again! You PROMISED!" At the last part, she began to sob. "You promised... you promised... you promised..." she whispered incoherently.  
  
"Mama..." the little boy watching from the doorway quietly shut the door and made his way downstairs.  
  
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  
  
"How's she doing... do you know?" Noin glanced up at her husband, folding her hands neatly in her lap.  
  
"I don't... I sent Adin up, but I'm such a coward. I couldn't go up there and face her myself." He leaned back in his chair bitterly, "I'm such a coward... I should have stayed with him... I should have helped him fight to the end..."  
  
"No... Heero would never have forgiven you... he knew in his heart that you were the only one that could take care of Relena and Adin if something were to happen."  
  
"It still hurts, I can't stand seeing her like this..." He was cut off by the sound of the door opening.  
  
"Mama's still crying..." Adin announced as he stepped into his Uncle's office. Noin looked up from her chair and for a moment could have sworn it was the ghost of Heero, coming back to haunt them all in the form of a child. Adin had donned his father's old trademark green tank top and a pair of long black pants, his colbat eyes were filling with tears.   
  
"Uncle Milliardo... why mama crying?"  
  
Zechs looked to Noin for support with the answer, but found that Noin had looked away.  
  
"She misses your Papa." He answered fighting the urge to curl up and die. Yuy, so help me god, if we meet in the afterlife, I'll make sure you suffer...  
  
"Oh..." The little boy began to turn away, clutching his teddy bear in his arms, "Auntie Lucretiza?"  
  
"Yes, sweetheart?"  
  
"Is Papa coming home soon?"  
  
"Yeah... he's coming home real soon, sweetie..." Adin nodded and briskly left the room.  
  
A soon as the door shut, Noin burst out into tears.  
  
  
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=  
  
"Let GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ayame shrieked, pulling on Ling's ponytail and kicking him in the shins with all the might her four year-old body possessed..  
  
"OOOOOOWWWWWWWW!" Ling screeched like a cat and released her from the headlock he had had her in.  
  
She stuck her tongue out at him, "TBBBBBBB!"  
  
"TBBBBBBBBBBB!" Was the reply.  
  
"Stupid Ayame!"  
  
"Poopy Ling!"   
  
His eyes narrowed, much like his father when he was engaged in a battle, and he hissed. Ayame flipped her braid over her shoulder triumphantly, raising an eyebrow in anticipation of his next move.  
  
Adin burst in on the stalemate, just as Ling began his attempt to scratch Ayame's eyes out.  
  
"Hiya guys!"   
  
No response.  
  
"GUYS!?" Adin whacked Ling over the head, stopping his wild rampage. He sat rather dazed on the ground until Ayame came up and threw her arms around Adin, "Thank you Ady! You saveded me!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek.  
  
Adin's face resembled one of a woman finding a cockroach in her water glass.  
  
"EWWWWWWW! Girl cooties!" He blushed bright red, and rubbed furiously at his cheek, but Ayame just skipped happily away to return to building a castle out of wooden blocks.  
  
"Ha ha ha ha ha! Lookie at Ling!" Ayame laughed as Ling tried to stand up, and then proceeded to fall flat on his bottom again. Adin couldn't help but snicker.  
  
Ling, feeling reasonably spiteful, stood up (triumphantly) and yelled, "At least my dad not dead!"  
  
"My Papa not dead!" Adin cried, his bottom lip beginning to tremble.   
  
"Is to!"  
  
"Is not!"  
  
"Is toooooooo!"  
  
"Is nooooooot!"  
  
"Is toooooooooooooooo!"  
  
"I'm not gonna listen! Fa la la la la la la!" Adin marched out of the room with his fingers in his ears.  
  
Ling, having no other person to torment, headed over, kicking Ayame's castle over with one mighty swing.  
  
"LIIIIIIIIIING!" she squealed, "I'm telling MOMMY! MOOOOOOMMMMYYYYY!" She tore out of the room, tears blinding her vision. As soon as she was out of sight, Ling plunked right down, and began to build a castle of his own.  
  
Smiling all the while.  
  
  
(^)^)^)^)^)^)^)^)(^)  
  
His brow was drawn in deep concentration as he used that yellow crayon to fill in the gigantic sun. The house was lopsided, and the person in the picture was a stick figure. Still, he colored on.  
  
"Hey, whatcha doing there, little buddy?" Called a friendly voice from the other end of the dinning room in the Peacecraft estate.  
  
"Colorin'." Adin dimly replied.  
  
"Ah, I see..." Duo pulled up a chair next to him, watching with great interest, "That's a great flag pole you got going there kid." He pointed to a spot on the page.   
  
Adin looked up, his bottom lip beginning to tremble, "Uncle Duo... dat's me!" Duo sweatdropped, and said flustered with embarrassment, "And what a great you it is!" He coughed, hiding his laughter.  
  
They sat there in silence for a couple of minutes, just drawing and watching, until Adin broke the silence by asking a rather unique question:  
  
"Uncle Duo, how do you fix a broke-ted heart?" Duo sighed, and patted his head to which Adin made a face. He had overheard his aunts (Dorothy and Sally) talking about it earlier in the hall and had become curious about it. Surely, if something was broken, couldn't you fix it with a lot of glue and tape?  
  
Apparently not.  
  
"I don't know kid... the only way to ease the pain I guess is to give that heart a lot of love..." He stood up and stretched, "Well, I'll see you around..."  
  
"Bye-bye Uncle Duo!"  
  
-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-  
  
"This is all my fault!" Quatre cried in frustration, punching his fist into his other palm. Dorothy looked up from the piano, "No it isn't."  
  
"Yes it is!"  
  
"No, dear, it isn't." She closed the piano lid and turned to face him, "You blame yourself for everything! Listen to yourself! Heero was... well... my friend too... and I'm hurting just as much as you are. You need to stay strong."  
  
"Dorothy, you're a lot stronger than I am."  
  
"No, Quatre, I'm not." She patted the bench, motioning for him to come sit down. He slid next to her, leaning his head on her shoulder, "I just have a better way of hiding my emotions."   
  
Quatre didn't have a reply.  
  
"You're talking as if he's dead! This is *HEERO* we're talking about! If it was anyone else, I'd be worried... but this man is the "Perfect Soldier". He knew what he was getting himself into, and he wasn't just going to give up on his family and his life. Not when he had so much to live for."  
  
Quarte lifted his head off her shoulder, "You're right... all this talk is nonsense! Rubbish! Thank you Dorothy!" He gave her a kiss on the cheek, "I'm going to go find Ryo and Maia and I'm going to... Tell them stories! And play the violin! Thank you!" He clapped his hands together thrilled, and dashed out of the room.  
  
Dorothy shook her head and began to play a slightly softer tune on the piano, "Glad I could help."  
  
*=0*=0*=0*=0*=0*=  
  
His blue sleeper that covered his entire body and kept his feet warm helped him to remain silent as he approached his prey. Climbing up on the bed, he took a little pudgy finger and poked his Mother....  
  
and again...  
and again...  
and again...  
  
And just as he was about to poke her for the fifth time, she turned around, wide awake, and poked him right back. Then she began to tickle him mercilessly until they were laughing hard enough that tears were streaming from the corners of their eyes.  
  
"See? You can't sneak up on me, little boy!" She laughed.  
  
"Hehehehe... Hehehehehehe...." Adin was squirming with laughter.   
  
"Say you're sorry to Mama..."   
  
"I sorry Mama!" He stood up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She scooped him up and they went over to watch the night sky from the window in Relena's room.   
  
"Mama?"  
  
"Yes, honey?"  
  
"Is Papa dead?"   
  
Relena winced as if she had been slapped, "I don't know..." She muttered, feeling a tug at her heart...  
  
"He can't be dead! He my Papa! Papa's the bestest papa in the world!" He exclaimed gesturing with his hands the extent of it all. Relena just nodded dumbly.  
  
"Mama! Make a wish!" He pointed towards the night-time sky excitedly. Relena barely managed to catch a glimpse at the streak of red that flew across the sky. Adin jumped off the bed, climbing up on his tippy-toes to better his vision; a smile crept across his face as he remembered something his father had once told him...  
  
*******FLASHBACK********  
  
It had been a quiet summer evening, there were no clouds in the sky, and no doubts in the air for the two year-old. Adin ran left. Adin ran right. Adin ran every whichway, trying to capture fireflies in his small pudgy fist. His father lay on his back a few feet away, just staring up at the sky. His normally imperturbable face betrayed him, and his eyes shone wistfully as if he was deep in the thought of remembering something that had been precious to him.  
  
Now, at the time, Adin had no idea of his father's past. He only knew, like every little boy, he wanted to be just like him. Adin caught his father off-guard and jumped on his stomach, causing Heero to let out what seemed to be a mixture of a cough and grunt as the air in his lungs escaped him.   
  
Adin just sat on his father's chest, paralyzed. "Papa! Star! Star!" He pointed wildly, and Heero followed his gaze to a shooting star. He couldn't help but grin as his son threw his arms around his head and crouched down, as if to protect himself.  
  
"Adin, that's a shooting star... it won't hit us!"  
  
Well, actually, it probably wasn't a falling star. In fact, it was probably a piece of debris from the Libra that would just burn up upon entering Earth's atmosphere. To Heero, it was nothing more than a piece of the past, but to his son, his only son, it was an omen of death.  
  
"Shooting star?" Adin echoed in awe, "What it shooting?"  
  
Heero fought the urge to sweatdrop, "Nothing, buddy, you make wishes on shooting stars."   
  
Adin must have liked this idea, because his smile spread from ear to ear, and then he dramatically clutched his hands together and whispered, "I wanna be like Papa!"  
  
Heero had a look of utter amazement on his face, Just like me, son? My wish for you... I wish for you to have a happy life. One without war, one without pain, and one without death.  
  
Adin went back to catching his fireflies, and this time Heero was right there with him.  
  
****END FLASHBACK*****   
Adin, being so innocent, thought it was a falling star. His mother, however, began to tear up at the sight of the crimson blur falling towards the ocean nearby.  
  
Heero, you aimed well. I'm coming... She thought with a wry grin. "Hey honey, how 'bout we go for a little midnight run to the beach?" (Well, technically, it was two o'clock in the morning...)  
  
  
Adin's eyes became as wide as saucers, "REALLY?!" Relena felt him clutch ecstatically to her navy nightgown. Wondering whether or not to change, she scooped her son up, and ran towards the door.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Noin and Milliardo, as well as Duo, Hilde, and the rest of the Gundam pilots watched, stupidified, as the once reclusive Relena flew by the livingroom with her son in tow, barefoot and in her long navy nightgown. The braid in her hair was coming out and stray hairs flew in every direction.  
  
"RELENA!" Milliardo stood up from his desk, shutting his laptop that contained all the arrangements for Heero's funeral. She came in breathlessly, her eyes twinkling with unconditional joy.  
  
At that instant, every woman in the room knew what had happened.  
  
"OH! OH!" Hilde pointed at Catherine, "Who was right? You SO owe me!" Duo watched stunned as Catherine shoved fifty dollars over to his wife, reluctantly. "What? WHAT!? What's going on?" He cried.  
  
"I'll be right back!" Relena lifted her son up onto her shoulders, nearly running into the wall.  
  
"Shoes Relena! Remember your shoes!" Noin called after her, shaking her head. "Honestly, after all she's been through, you'd think she'd remember her shoes..." She muttered.  
  
"Is it just me, or did Relena just *dance* out of the room?" Quatre cocked his head to one side.  
  
"That woman has no respect! In China we mourn for months, and there she is skipping around as if she had just found out that Hee- Oh." Wufei stopped midsentence after Sally began nodding at him.  
  
Milliardo's brows shot to his hairline, "Does this mean...?"  
  
"WHAT DOES WHAT MEAN!?" Duo finally shouted at the top of his lungs.   
  
Dead silence.  
  
Hilde whacked him on the head, and dragged him out of the room by his braid, "C'mon you big dummy, I'll go show you..."  
  
______+_+_+_+_+______  
  
Next to her, Adin bounced up and down, but she just stared out of the window, her eyes taking in everything from a new perspective. To have lost something so precious to you, could make you realize how easily everything could be taken away. Her Heero, her whole life, had been stripped from her in seconds. And yet, for some reason that was beyond Relena, fate had decided to give him back. Was it those tears she had wasted?  
  
Nah, probably just Heero's knack for being immune to death.  
  
As Pagan halted the breaks of the familiar limo, Relena found she was acting no better than Adin, and watched as her own hands trembled opening the door. She was the young girl that had found boy on the beach all over again.  
  
She forgot herself, (and almost forgot her son in the process) and ran down to the place where the ocean met the sand.  
  
And her heart stopped.  
  
The wind blew through her hair, but that was the only sound that entered into her soul. Above her, the sun began to cast it's rays of the early morning, and it dyed everything an orange an golden hue.  
  
No Heero.  
  
She nearly collapsed to her knees right them and there. She was such a fool.   
  
Such a fool.  
  
Her hopes and dreams were shattered that instant, and for a moment she felt like throwing herself into the ocean, letting herself drown in it's icy grasp. No, she would not. No, she could not. In the next second, Adin was next to her, grabbing her hand in his own.  
  
And in that same sacred instant, fate reached out and blessed her again.  
  
At first, she didn't see it, and it nearly washed right by her and the freezing water lapped over her feet. The ocean's foam made the small picture stand out, and when she bent down to pick it up, she found tears streaming from her eyes. Glancing up, she knew what would be there waiting for her.  
  
A shadowed figure emerged from the ocean's grips, and stumbled through the shallow tides. The person froze when he saw what was waiting for him. Taking off his helmet slowly, he paused to take in the sheer beauty of his wife, tears falling onto her porcelain-like cheeks, and aqua eyes shimmering. She made a move to run to him, but their son was faster.  
  
"PAAAAAAAPAAAAAAAA!" Adin ran head-first into Heero, causing them both to fall back into the ocean's waves. Relena couldn't help but laugh as she wadded out to meet them.  
  
"Hi there, buddy!" Heero's laugh echoed in Relena's ears. By some stroke of luck, Heero managed to be pulled up by Relena with Adin on his shoulders. Then, all three tumbled back into the waves, cracking up hysterically. When they were able to stand up again, Relena nearly *dove* into her husband's arms.   
  
"I missed you." She whispered.   
  
He tilted her head up, forcing her to look him straight in the eye, "I told you I'd see you soon." He leaned down to give her the kiss they'd both been longing for....  
  
And Adin splash them both.  
  
Right in the face.  
  
Heero and Relena shot each other a look, and Relena scooped him up, dangling his head over the ocean water.  
  
"AHHHHH! Papa help!" He shrieked.  
  
Heero tilted his head to the side, "Not until you say sorry, little soldier!"  
  
"I SORRY! I SORRY!" Instead of dunking him, Heero gathered him from Relena and into his arms and swung him up over his shoulders. (AN: Poor Adin... all he says is sorry... ^^;)  
  
"Awww... it looks like we missed out on all the fun!" Quatre snapped his fingers together in disappointment, as the newly reunited family stumbled out of the waves.  
  
"I don't get it... He's still alive! I'm amazed! How does he do it?" Catherine voiced, absolutely shocked.  
  
"That was a stupid question, Onna! He's Heero, that's how he survived!" Wufei crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
Trowa shot him a nasty glare, and Sally smacked him over the head.   
  
"ONNA!"  
  
"BE NICE!"  
  
Noin looked over to her husband, "Well, it looks like things are pretty much back to normal..." Her voice trailed off.  
  
Yes, but for how long? Zechs mused quietly to himself.  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
| Three years later...|  
  
"I grew up as a rich little girl. I grew up without what some would call life itself. Life, as we all continue to learn, is something that is so incredibly precious to us, we don't know what it's value is until it's gone." She paused, gathering her thoughts, "We grow each day and gain new wisdom, ideals, and principles. And as we continue to flower and blossom into the beautiful people God had intended us to be, I can only express my best wishes to all of you. Thank you for your support over the years, I, for one, will never forget the kindness that was bequeathed to me."   
  
Cameras nearly blinded her as she began to wrap things up, "I'm not that rich little girl anymore. I had grown up in a protected bubble of aristocracy that burst upon reaching my teenage years. War, death, and violence had destroyed everything for everyone. I won't let this happen again. I won't let our children met the tragedies and the harsh world that we've been all to aquatinted with. I won't let you all down. And in conclusion, I'd like to thank you for re-electing me as president of the United Earth Sphere Alliance. I can only hope I can make all of your wishes, hopes, and dreams a reality for the future generations to come..."  
  
An old woman watched from the back, smiling like a proud parent. Tears drifted down her cheeks as she moved to leave the celebration. Just as her son had years before, the woman faded into the crowd, drifting out of sight. Waiting to be needed again. Waiting to have a purpose.  
  
  
"Good luck to my little darlings... thank you to my son... and to everyone in the world, congratulations..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yeeeeaaaahhhh! I'm done! Much happier, ne? I know, I know, the ending... sorry, too much Evangelion lately... Email me, and I'll love you forever! My new story should be making it's way onto fanfiction.net soon... it's about Relena *watches as her fan base runs away in disgust* I dunno, maybe you'll like her better after you read all the crap I put her through...   
  
Thanks to everyone for the love and support!  
  
Chibi Acky  
  
http://kiss.to/gyousei  
blacklady.nu  
  



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